Shadows of the Past
by alpha-range
Summary: Max has a pretty screwed up life: an abusive father, an evil step-mother and a brother to care for. When things get blown out of hand, Max finds herself faced with the realisation that she needs help. Eventual Fax, although different couples first. R&R.
1. Warning

OH HI THERE! I know a lot of you have been anxiously awaiting the promised *Re-Write* of Haunted Past: Forgotten Dreams, and here you are! But before we begin with the reading, I'd like to clarify a few things.

The reason that the origional was taken down was because of an act of plagarism. Now, normally, I'd of asked the person to remove the story and everything would of been fine. Since HP:FD was based on an origional novel of mine, however, I felt that I had no choice but to remove it. In order to stop this happening again, it has been changed significantly. I can promise you that a lot of it will contain the main plots that you read about in HP, but it would be both pointless and boring for you to simply change some little things and post it again.

As you'll see, in this story, Max is living with her father (Jeb) and step-mother Bridget (I couldn't resist XD). The other family, however, have remained pretty much the same - with the add in of Angel and The Gasman.

Hopefully, I'll set about this in a fairly realistic way, and if I don't well... you'll have to bare with me. This version isn't set in stone, and if there's something that you'd like to see changed then include it in a review, and I'll see what I can do. This will within reason, of course. Most of all, let me know what you think, and if you think it has the potential to be as good as the other one!

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**Chapter One**

**Max**

"_You're a waste of space. Always have been - I'll be glad when you're gone, maybe you can even take that waste of space brother with you, so I can be done with the pair of you!"_

My step-mother's words were dancing around my head as I stared blankly forwards. Class was nearly over, and I was anxious to be out of the room. My claustrophobia had settled in with a vengeance - stronger than ever, for some reason. Besides, I had to pay a visit to Iggy Griffiths before the end of lunch.

Stupid boy should of known better really. I'd _told_ him that he shouldn't buy the phone off Dean - if only since we'd been such close friends once - but he hadn't listened, and now it was my job to go and give him a warning. Dean was clear with the rules, which had been lain out clearly by Dylan.

If Iggy didn't pay by tomorrow night, there would be serious consequences. Having seen the last guy who'd missed his payment narrowly avoid being checked into the hospital, I was eager to get the message across to Iggy that he had better cough up. I honestly didn't want to see him hurt.

Heck, if I'd of had the money, I'd of payed for it myself. As it was, I needed all the money that I could get right now. Dad was working the night-shift at the moment, and being payed minimum wage for doing so, and there was a fat that Bridget was ever going to do anything productive that might earn the slightest bit of cash.

It was all of me to ensure that we had enough money to pay the rent, the other bills, and feed everyone. All at the age of seventeen.

I refused to let the thought bother me. I was gradually saving as much money as I could afford not to lose, and I knew that I'd have enough to move out - and take Ari with me - soon after turning eighteen.

I shifted in my seat, pulling my beanie a little further down on my head, and my sleeves a little further down my arms. My tank top and long-sleeved shirt offered little protection from the Washington winter, and my jacket was doing little to help matters. Being cold wasn't my only concern, it would only take a brief moment of carelessness for my sleeves to ride up and expose my bruised wrists.

That would cause questions that I didn't have an answer for.

_Bring, bring. Bring, bring. Bring, bring._

The bell announced the start of the lesson, and I grabbed my bag (which I'd never gotten around to unpacking); I was out of the classroom before most of my peers were even out of their seats - closely followed by Dean and Owen. I'd "convinced" the woman at the front desk to inform me that Iggy had just had English, and was ready when he emerged from the classroom.

Dean grabbed one of his arms, Owen grabbed the other and the two of them shoved him into the conveniently "Out of order" boys bathrooms that were next door. There was a reason that Owen and Dean had been late to first period.

The two of them waited outside the door as I headed inside where Iggy was waiting for me, a slightly nervous look on his face. Brushing past him, I jumped up on the counter between two sinks and watched as he glanced between me and the door.

"You'll never make it." I chided gently. "And even if you did, Dean and Owen are on the other side of the door. You'd be sent straight back in here, and I'd be in a less patient mood."

"Alright." He said, bluffing through his fear. "What is it that you have to say?"

"I'm trying to give you the benefit of the doubt here, Igs. We used to be friends, but I can only cut you so much slack; I warned you not to buy that phone." I said. "If you haven't paid by tomorrow, Dean and Owen will take payment in other ways, and there'll be nothing that I can do to stop it. You _have_ to get them the money by the final bell tomorrow."

There was a long pause as Iggy studied me, and I resisted the urge to shift uncomfortably - I couldn't afford to show a weakness.

"Nothing that you _can_ do, or nothing that you will?" He said eventually, a show of bravery that I hadn't honestly expected.

"Borrow the money off someone if you have to. I'm sure Nick'll give it to you." Was all I said, refusing to show any emotion as I nicked a welt in his hand with my knife on the way past - resisting the urge to wince as I did so. It was necessary. It meant that the boys wouldn't bother him again until tomorrow.

Iggy didn't move, and I didn't look back as I let the door swing shut on what had once been my best friend. Things changed.

I certainly had.

-ƸӁƷ-

"Hey there, baby girl." Dylan grinned, pulling me in for an embarrassingly public kiss in the school parking lot. Some girls would have been lapping it all up, but I knew that it was nothing more than him showing the rest of the school that he could control me. That was just how Dylan was.

"Dean. Owen." He greeted stiffly. "How's things?"

The question that he was really asking was, of course, "_How well are you selling the stolen goods that I'm supplying you with."_

Both of them muttered positive comments that I could barely hear, eyes on the floor. If there was one thing that Dylan was good at, it was intimidating people. Then again, the fact that he was on probation and made no secret of his mostly illicit affairs tended to have that affect on people. Besides, the police could never prove anything against him - if there was one thing that Dylan was good at, it was cleaning up after himself.

No fingerprints, footprints, hairs. Nothing.

Nothing that could be traced back to him.

"What are we doing tonight?" I asked, keeping the sigh out of my voice just barely.

"I have a few jobs lined up." He said, grinning and pulling me closer. "Which needs I'm going to need a pretty little watch-out. You game?"

I nodded slightly. Why? Because I needed the money.

Dean and Owen might be jerks most of the time, and Dylan might be a jerk all of the time, but it kept Ari well-fed, and a roof over our heads, so that was all that mattered.

-ƸӁƷ-

It was half eleven by the time that I finally returned to our tiny, two-bedroomed apartment. Bridget was in the same chair that I'd left her in this morning, although there was now a steadily growing pile of dishes, cigarette packets and beer bottles on the table next to her now.

"Did you make Ari dinner?" I asked, feeling fury build in my chest as I noticed the lack of any other dishes on the counter.

"He's not hungry." She replied, eyes remaining trained on the TV even as Ari's stomach growled loudly. The small seven-year-old was curled up with his toy plane; gently attaching the new load of stickers that I'd bought him for it.

I shook my head at Bridget's neglectful disregard on her own son's needs, and set about fixing him a sandwich, grabbing the last un-bruised apple out of the fruit bowl before leading him, plane in hand, into our shared bedroom.

It was the only tidy room in the house, other than the wall next to my bed, where I was gradually peeling back layer-by-layer the paint of previous owners with my penknife until I found a color more bearable than the dark green of the rest of the room.

"Coby said that he found a box of puppies in the alleyway behind the school today." Ari said, as he happily ate his sandwich. "But his mom made him leave them there. Can we go and have a look after school? I don't want them to die."

I smiled at him.

"Of course we can, sweetie." I answered, inwardly wondering if even if we did find them alive, there'd be enough money to feed them. "How many did he say there was?"

"He said that there was two, but that he thought that two different people had put them there, 'cause they looked so different."

The thought made me sick to my stomach. Obviously someone had seen the first puppy deserted in an alley way, and instead of helping it, he'd decided to add to the problem. I really hoped that we found them both awake and alive in the morning, if we found them at all.

"We'll go before school." I decided, knowing that the longer that the animals were left there, the slimmer the chances that they'd survive. "And if we find them, I'll bring them home before school and get them some food. Okay? We can go to the shelter after school and ask for some tips."

Ari finished off his food in silence, smiling slightly at the prospect of looking for the puppies. After tucking him into bed, and turning the light off, I returned to my own bed - blasting music out of the iPod that Dylan had provided me with free of charge. I knew it was stolen, but Ari had been so excited to tell all his friends that the two of us had the new iPod that I hadn't been able to bring myself to return it.

My thoughts wandered freely. Focusing for a matter of minutes on Dylan, Dean and Owen, before focusing with a sharper focus on Iggy and the puppies.

It was no secret that Max Ride was a screw-up; someone who had flushed their promising future down the toilet with the arrival of Sophomore year. I seemed to ruin everything that I touched; heck, I hadn't even been able to stop Iggy from working his way into something that was potentially dangerous.

Maybe saving the puppies would make Ari proud of me.

At least then I'd have done one good thing.

* * *

Well there it is. The first chapter.

The puppy plot may seem silly and random, but I can promise you that it's an important part of the story.

Now, onto more important things. Obviously, the first couple of chapters are going to be slow as I try to little-by-little set the scene, but I can promise that after that they'll pick up with the usual drama, alright?

_Like it? Hate it? Think there's something I can improve on? Let me know! Reviews are the way forward, people._

On another note: **please help me think of a title!**


	2. Payment

A/N: Yep, another fairly filler-ishy one, but things start to get a little better after this one, I promise! Just as a note, Fanfiction wouldn't let me respond to ANY PM's or reviews for some reason, so I'm just going to do it here for now, until I can get that sorted ^^ I got loads of **_REVIEWS_** for the last chapter, so I was really pleased about that XD And yes, that _was_ a subtle hint for you there. Also, for readers of the Guardian Experiment, there should be an update soon!

**Review Replies:**

**_faxgirl:_** I'm really glad that you're enjoying it so far, and that you took the time to review! I hope this chapter doesn't let you down! ~

_**BlackAthena:**_ You've been forgiven for a very long time, honey. Just enjoy the story, and don't feel guilty - we all make stupid mistakes, and it means a lot that you've gone out of your way to apologize multiple times! ~

_**Iced-Tea-XD:**_ Gosh, I hope I just got your username right XD I'm really glad that you understand, and that you're enjoying this one! I hope this chapter doesn't let you down! ~

_**SplatteredEggs:**_ I think you're pretty much my most faithful reviewer, so it's good to see that you're still here! And yes, the "Puppy Plot" does ultimately have something to do with Total and Akila, just not what you think it does! And yes, stupid Igmeister. Max warned you, silly boy! ~

_**5253Racer:**_ Sure, that's okay. I'm glad that you're still reading and excited for more! ~

_**.love:**_ I'm so pleased that you enjoyed it! And thanks, it's a pass-time of mine, so I like that other people enjoy reading what I write. ~

_**randombookworm:**_ First off, I want to take the time to thank you so much for checking out Broken Reality! It really meant a lot to see that someone from FanFiction had taken the time to head over and not only have a read, but leave me some positive feedback! I know that bits of it don't make sense at the moment, and some of the chapters don't lead onto others, but that's because I'm in the middle of changing the chapter order, so they're all disjointed and confusing ^^ And I can assure you that if Broken Reality - or any of my other novels - were to ever get published, you'd be sick of hearing about it ^^ I'd be telling everyone! ~

_**-HonoraAngel-:** _I'd like to start out by saying thanks for taking the time to check this out! And trust me, it's fine that you don't entirely remember the old one, it was posted so long ago! Also, I checked out Expired, and really, _really_ enjoyed it - but since FF won't let me review, I figured I'd have to save all of my positive comments for when it lets me! ~

_**Miz636:**_ It's great to see you checking out the new story! And I completely understand that you couldn't review properly - it made my day to see that you'd gone completely out of the way to make sure that I got your encouragement. Thanks! ~

_**Jace'n'FangLover:**_ To answer your questions;

1] Yes. Max, Dylan, Dean and Owen are what you could call a gang, I suppose. The four of them work together to commit crimes and collect money, but it later becomes apparent that there's actually a little kinship there, and not just the crime holding them together. You'll see what I mean.

2] Yes. NICK _IS_ FANG; he's Iggy's best friend, and adopted brother. This will be brought up and explained by Max herself in a later chapter.

3] No. The reason that Max and Iggy are no longer friends is _not_ because he hadn't paid. It stems back a lot further than that - you'll have to wait and see ^^. I think that's it, and I'd like to say that I'm glad that you enjoyed it. ~

_**IZZLE-G:**_ I'm really glad you enjoyed it, and Fang definately plays a BIG part later! ~

_**max88301:**_ Thanks, I'm really glad you enjoyed it, and I hope this chapter doesn't let you down! ~

_**River-Fiona-Barrels-Me:** _Yeah, making Ari a little sweet-and-innocent seven year old was a personal challenge that was set for myself. In the other story, he was a gang member, but I reasoned with myself that, for one, he should of only been seven years old. Eraserfying him changed him into what he was in the books, and even then he showed a good side to him; my aim was to see what _could_ of happened to him. I glad somebody else but me appreciated it! ~

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-ƸӁƷ-

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**Chapter Two**

**Max**

"He said that they were right back here." Ari said, his small hand tugging me forward, deeper into the alley behind the Elementary school. "His mum put them behind the dumpster so a big stray dog wouldn't find them."

He let go of my hand in a vain attempt to drag the dumpster forward, and I grinned a little before helping him. For a second nothing happened, and then the dumpster made a loud grating noise and rolled forward enough for Ari and I to slide comfortably behind it without getting grime all over our clothes.

For a second I didn't see a box, and thought that maybe someone else had picked up the puppies. That was when I heard the yelping; it was a quiet, pitiful sound, and drew me towards a black TV box that I hadn't seen before. Heading over and pulling back one of the flaps, I was disgusted with what I saw.

Apparently the person who had placed the second puppy in the box hadn't been alone in his thoughts, because there was now six tiny little puppies in the bottom of the makeshift shelter. I shook my head, and glanced around before spotting a crate that the people that ran marked stalls used for fruit and the likes.

"Ari, grab that for me, will you?" I asked, pulling out the towels that I'd packed this morning, on an off chance that we found the puppies. I was now glad that I had. Ari dutifully returned with the crate, and I lined the bottom with a couple of towels before picking up the first puppy.

It was shaking with the cold, and I gently wrapped it up in another towel, before doing the same with the other five.

"Alright, little man." I said to Ari, shouldering my backpack once more, and lifting the crate carefully. "Off to school with you. I'll take the puppies home and give them something to eat, and we can go and get some stuff for them when you get home, alright?"

Ari frowned a little. "Are you sure that they'll still be there when I get home?"

I laughed, ruffling his hair. "I promise."

-ƸӁƷ-

I'd pulled a drawer out of the chest that Ari and I shared, and lined it with clothes that neither of us could fit into anymore, before leaving the puppies. I'd fed them a mixture of milk and softened dog food that I'd bought on the way home with the last of my money, and although I knew that they were safe where they were, I couldn't get them out of my mind until lunchtime.

Why lunchtime? Because that was when Iggy made his move. Or, rather, when Nick made it for him.

I was sat at my usual table with Dean and Owen when he headed over; his posture was easy and confident, and he wore his usual blank mask on his face as he headed over - if I hadn't been looking, I'd of missed the way that his jaw was clenched.

Iggy trailed a little behind him, clearly unsure of his adopted brother, and best friend's actions.

The three of us watched them approach with a calm indifference that seemed to work better than ever when compared to the fact that the rest of the school was now watching and whispering. It was better to remain unfazed.

"Alright." He said, as cocky as ever, stopping by my chair as I sat back in it to study him - clearly a lot more relaxed than Dean and Owen, who were both tense and upright in their own chairs. "How much does Iggy owe you."

"Fifty bucks." I answered easily. Nick raised an eyebrow, and dumped the money on the table without another word. For a long moment he stood there, as if debating something, before he leant over to whisper in my ear.

_"__You are _so_ broken.__"_

It was amazing the effect that such a short sentence had on me. I stood sharply, my chair screeching a little on the tiles, and a change in my expression that I hadn't noticed shocked Nick into backing off a step. I wasn't sure what it was, but clapped my mask back on as Dean and Owen rose to stand with me.

Iggy grabbed Nick's arm and dragged him back a couple of steps.

"Watch what you're saying. You don't know anything about me." I spat at him, all too aware that my hands had clenched at my sides - the cafeteria was silent.

I expected Nick to say something, to apologize, but instead his eyes held mine for a long moment before he turned and walked away - proving that I wasn't the only one who had changed over the past two years. Anger welled inside me, and only Dean's hand on my arm stopped me from wiping the smug look off his face.

Glancing down at the money I felt myself relax a little. This was the twelfth payment today, which meant that I was getting paid at the end of the day. The four of us - me, Dylan, Dean and Owen, took an even quarter of the profits, and it would be enough to ensure that the puppies were well enough, at least.

The next thought that hit me was that I was surprised how relieved it made me feel that Iggy was out of the woods. For someone who hated emotions so much, I sure did care about him a lot.

-ƸӁƷ-

"I was thinking that we'd take the puppies to the shelter and get them registered before we go shopping." I said, as Ari skipped along next to me. He was grinning widely, almost dragging me in his haste to get home. It was the happiest I'd seen him in a long time, and I was glad that he was actually looking forward to going home for once.

"I think that's a good idea." Ari said, grinning as the apartment complex came into view. His step quickened even further, and I shook my head laughingly as I sped myself up accordingly.

Bridget was in the same chair as always, and had apparently moved at least once today, because the remote was no-where in sight and the TV had been turned up considerably. Maybe sitting around on her butt all day was turning her deaf? Still, I was glad to note that it covered any noise that the puppies could of made, and there was no other need for Bridget to head into their room.

I kept it tidy, as well as most of the rest of the house, and even if I didn't, Bridget wasn't about to do anything about it.

The six puppies were still in the drawer, and I remembered that I'd put the carry basket for our old cat, Jessie, under my bed, so pulled it out and quickly dusted it off. It was a wire cage with a plastic tray type bottom - nothing fancy, but it would be good enough to take the puppies to the shelter in.

Besides, with the amount of money that was currently stashed in my back pocket - and the promise that it would of at least doubled by the end of the week - money really wasn't an issue right now. I could get a better one at the pet store.

Ari ran to get some fresh blankets, and the two of us carefully lined the bottom of the tray with them before we began placing them inside. I took the time to study them closely, noting that although they all looked small, they could in fact be five or six weeks old. Not old enough to leave their mothers, but old enough that it would be an easy-ish task to raise them.

I'd done it with countless litters beforehand, so it wasn't going to be a challenge. I also knew that the shelter wouldn't be inclined to take the puppies away from us, as we'd been registered as a foster once. We clearly knew what we were doing, if nothing else.

Finally happy that the puppies were safe, and that they weren't going to get too cold on the way to the shelter, I draped a remaining towel over the cage to ensure that they remained calm, and Ari and I headed out.

-ƸӁƷ-

Thankfully, since it was a school day, we only had to wait for a little over half an hour before the shelter staff could see us. Ari was bubbling with excitement, and already in the process of picking names out for them.

"We should call that tan one Bailey." He reasoned. "Because it reminds me of Mom's old dog, and that's what she called hers."

"We don't even know that it's a girl yet, Ari." I laughed.

"That doesn't matter. He can be called Bailey anyway." Ari said earnestly, reaching his fingers between the bars to tickle behind the puppies ears. I rolled my eyes, but nodded anyway.

"What about the others? Have you got any ideas for them?" I asked, leaning forward to let Ari know that I was just as excited as he was.

"Well, that one could be Tinker. Like Tinkerbelle, you know? Because she's so small, and Tinkerbelle was small too."

I laughed. "Alright then, Bailey and Tinker." I nodded, and Ari dropped the towel around so that it covered the cage as a voice over the loudspeaker called for "Max Ride" to go to "Clinic Room One".

Ari insisted on carrying the puppies, despite the fact that he had to hold the cage with his arm in an uncomfortable position so that it didn't trail across the floor, and the weight of the puppies and cage combined was probably just under half of his weight. Still, he looked rather cute, and was going out of his way to be careful with them.

"Hi there," The man behind the table smiled, I didn't recognise him, which meant either he was my mother's replacement, or had come since she'd been replaced. "I'm Dr Steward; I hear that you're here to get some abandoned puppies checked over?"

I nodded, and took the cage off Ari to place it on the table since he couldn't quite get it high enough.

"I had a look at them, and there's no signs of mange or fleas. I think they're about five to six weeks old." I said, watching as he pulled the first puppy – the one that Ari had just named Bailey – out of the box. He examined it for a few long moments, and then handed it to Ari to hold.

"That one's a little boy; I'd guess some sort of Finnish Lapphund?" He said gently. "I'd also say that he's six weeks old definitely, and quite probably the runt of the litter."

I nodded, glad that my guess hadn't been horribly wrong as he pulled out the second puppy.

As it turned out, there was four female puppies, and two male, and the Vet guessed that only two of them – two huskies – were related in any way. He also decided that he'd write it down as an official adoption with permission, and wrote a letter saying that the shelter would pay for medical treatment – including the puppies shots.

Inwardly, I was a lot more relieved than I let on.

We were just leaving when he called my name.

Confused, I turned.

"Are you thinking about coming back to volunteer at the shelter? From what I heard, you were one of the best we ever had." There was a long pause, as I sighed, and looked down at Ari – who was looking up at me, eyes wide. "There's an open position for after school hours. A paid one, I mean."

I looked up again, to meet Dr Steward's pleading eyes. "Alright." I sighed. "Put my name down for it, and we'll see if I get the job, okay? You have our phone number on file."

Dr Steward grinned, and inwardly I was grinning as well.

If I got this job, it would mean that I wouldn't need to continue my… other means of getting money, through Dylan, Dean and Owen. That would be the most amazing feeling in the world.

Ari and I headed out, but Ari was still frowning.

"Did you used to work here?" Ari asked. "I didn't know that."

"Yeah. I used to come and help my Mom – she was a vet here, like Dr Steward." I said, ruffling his hair gently.

"I wish I had your mom." He said, his face suddenly sad. I knew what he meant – Bridget was bad enough as a step-mom, I couldn't imagine her being my real mom. "It doesn't matter though. I have you to look after me now." He was suddenly happy again, bouncing towards the pet store.

"You're right, Ari." I said, more to myself than him. "You do have me now, and I'm _never_ going to let anything happen to you. Never."

-ƸӁƷ-

It was over an hour and a half later that we finally got home. Ari was still bubbling with excitement, and I was laden with shopping bags. Bridget's chair was empty, and the flat was hauntingly empty – clearly her and my father had gone somewhere. Good riddance.

The two of us headed straight into the bedroom, and I dropped the bags on the bed thoughtlessly, wincing when the sound of wood splintering filled the room. We _really_ needed new beds soon, before they just outright broke.

I'd bought a "build your own puppy pen!" at the pet store, so that was first on the list. Between Ari and I, we had it up within half an hour. Ari then decided that the next thing that we had to do was put the puppies collars on, and I laughingly helped him do so before we put the puppies in the pen.

"So," I said, as the two of us sat watching them play. "We've only named two out of six. Four left, you got any ideas?"

Ari frowned, studying the puppies for a long moment before picking the little female Australian Shepherd up. "This was can be called Missi; because that's what my mom always used to call you, Max."

I smiled a little at Ari as he moved onto the two huskies.

"I want this one to be called Moon." He said, nodding to the darker of the two.

"Moon? How about something that _means_ moon? Like Luna?"

"I like that!" He said nodding, and then turning to the light grey one. "You can name this one, Max." He said, as though he was being the most generous person alive.

I hesitated for moment before saying, "Let's call her Kayle."

The name was short for Kayla, which was what my little sister was going to be called before my mom's mom died, and Ella ended up partially named after Grandma Isabella.

That left just one puppy nameless.

"He looks like the puppy off the pet story vans!" Ari laughed suddenly, and I smiled.

"Their logo?" He nodded enthusiastically, and then grinned widely.

"That can be his name! Logo."

I grinned back at him, happy to see him smiling for once.

-ƸӁƷ-

"This is a bad idea. They're still inside, that's why they haven't cleared the windows." I hissed, watching as Dylan studied the jewellery shop from inside the car that he'd just successfully opened and hot-wired. Dean and Owen were in the back seat, and a glance in the rear-view mirror showed that they were every bit as concerned as I was.

"Alright." He sighed, finally taking his gaze away from the window and beginning the drive home. He'd already broken into three houses tonight, and taken four cars back to the car shop that his dad owned – his father would be changing the plates right now, so that they couldn't be traced.

It was a swift operation, and I hated every bit of it.

"Can you drop me home?" I asked. "I need to go and get Ari some dinner."

Dylan swore at me. "You can walk." He said, and released the locks on the door – pushing me out roughly. I stumbled, and slipped, landing hard on the floor and hearing a crack as my arm made contact with the floor. I rolled over to see Dylan, but the car was already gone.

I swore loudly under my breath and pulled myself into a sitting position, relieved to note that my arm wasn't broken. Probably just sprained. I was ten blocks from my apartment, injured, and in a bad mood.

Not only did this mean that I had to walk home, but I'd also be late to feed Ari and the puppies.

Life sucked.


	3. Threats

**AN:** Hi there guys! Thanks for all of your support and _**REVIEW**_s; it's really great that you're enjoying this. Alright, so I'm going away on Saturday, and I won't have internet very often. I'm trying to get another update, at least, before I go, but I can't make promises! I'll do my best to update whilst I'm there, but you'll have to be patient with me! Review replies are at the bottom of the chapter! ~

-}|{-

**Chapter Three**

**Max**

"Max Ride." Someone laughed behind me. I sighed, resisting the urge to bang my head against my now closed locker, and spun in time to see Sam and his cronies grinning maliciously at me.

"Samuel Walker." I mimicked, leaning coolly back against the lockers.

"A little birdie told me that there was a robbery last night. At the jewellery store that my uncle runs. Got anything that you need to confess?"

"Other than the fact that when I told you that your new haircut in tenth grade didn't make you look ridiculous, I was lying, no. Why do you ask?"

"The little birdie also said that they saw you walking away from there."

I frowned, of course they had.

"What, are you stalking me now? One of my Mom's friends lives over there, I was babysitting." I lied easily, shrugging and grabbing my pack. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have an English test to fail."

I shouldered by backpack and began to walk away, stopping sharply when someone grabbed my wrist; thankfully, the un-injured one. I turned, and slowly looked from the hand on my arm to Sam's unsmiling face.

"Don't lie to me, Max." Sam growled. "I know what you do, and I know all about that little brother of yours. You watch yourself, or he'll get it, I swear."

Unthinkingly, I swung my sprained wrist around to deliver a hard punch to his face, and he dropped to the floor. I leant over him, a foot on his chest, and glared right into his eyes.

"You leave Ari alone, or I swear to God I'll kill you." I spat, and then I spun and was gone – hearing Sam and his "friends" yelling after me.

No-one threatened my brother.

-}|{-

"Alright, class." Mrs Withers smiled cheerily. "I have a little surprise for you… a seating plan!"

I was right with the rest of the class as they groaned, and she began reading out names. Of course, my luck being, well, _mine_, I ended up on a small four-seater table with Iggy, Nick and _Sam_.

Seriously, can my life get any worse?

The biology lesson was literally the whole class sat working on their individual projects; mine was on birds, and I'd done all of the research, and was now working on doing quick sketches to stick in. It would have been made a lot easier if Sam hadn't of been glaring at from opposite me.

"Can I help you?" I snapped suddenly, looking up from my sketch of a hawk.

"Remember what I said to you earlier, you watch what you say to me, or I swear to God that brother of yours gets it."

"Remember what _I_ said to _you_ earlier?" Was my reply, my tone low and deadly as I deliberately and slowly moved my eyes to his bruised cheekbone. "You threaten him again and it'll be the last thing that you ever do."

"Max doesn't have a brother." Iggy put in, a confused look on his face, which I guess was understandable considering that he really did know nothing of my life right now.

"You don't know anything about me, Iggy." I said quietly, going back to my work. "You haven't for a long time now. You'd best start accepting it."

"I'm beginning to think that you're right." He muttered going back to his project.

The rest of the lesson was spent in silence, as all four of us sat in our different seats and avoided eye-contact. I kind of felt sorry for Nick – or what was it he was calling himself these days? Tooth? Sabre? No… Fang. That was it. He was just an innocent bystander in this great big mess that was also known as my life; in no-where near deep enough to understand like some people, but deep enough to of been hurt when I'd pulled away from him and Iggy.

If he'd transferred here a few months earlier, however, he'd of been in as deep of the rest of them, and that was something that I knew with certainty. I'd vowed never to let Iggy get close to me again, and now I mentally corrected that small promise to myself.

I couldn't get close to Nick like I had again, either.

It would be dangerous.

For him, and for me.

-}|{-

"I hear that you're having issues with Sam Walker." Dean said, leaning closer across the lunch table. I watched him with mild interest, pulling my granola bar apart idly in my hands. Owen seemed to find this titbit enthralling, and he leant forward, too.

"Nothing I can't take care of myself." I muttered back, halving what was left of the granola bar and handing a pile to each of the boys. I watched as the two of them dug in with gusto, realizing for the first time in a long time that I had no right to call them jerks. We were all doing the same thing, and for similar reasons.

They couldn't help that their lives were as screwed up as mine.

Dean's father had run off with his girlfriend, leaving Dean with only his older brother, who hadn't waited long before he skipped town, too. He was a little older than me at eighteen, and was living in a one bedroom flat that he could barely afford as it was, all by himself.

Owen's dad was a drug lord, and his mother had left the two of them to their own devices a long time ago. His father had made one thing very clear, if Owen couldn't pay his own share of the rent and the bills, and that of his sister, he would be in much the same position as Dean.

All three of us were trapped, forced into committing crimes that we didn't want too by the sheer ignorance of our parents. We had more in common then I'd ever taken the time to notice, and I felt a kinship towards the boys that I hadn't felt before.

They were jerks because life had given them no other choice, and it was something that I could relate to.

Besides, beneath layers of attitude and pure nastiness, I knew that they both had better hearts than they let on. After all, Dean was the guy who – when he had a little spare money – didn't hesitate to hand it to those on the streets that needed it.

Owen was the one that had once spent two weeks on the street for not meeting his father's demands, when I knew for a fact that he'd given all of the money he had to the children's hospital down the street.

It had gone bankrupt, and Owen hadn't hesitated to do all the he could to help – he'd said they'd owed him for it, since they'd fixed his sister up when she broke her leg, and had never charged him for the bills that he couldn't afford.

And now I realized what I never had before. They weren't asking these questions about Sam because it would give them an excuse to beat him up – like I'd assumed – but because they wanted to protect me.

The only real jerk in all of this was Dylan, and he'd made no secret of it.

-}|{-

"Max?" Ari asked as the two of us walked home. He'd slipped his small hand into my own, and had a curious expression on his face. "Why are we walking this way? We were supposed to turn back there."

"I know," I laughed. "I want to show you something."

The two of us walked in silence for a while, before I stopped him and the two of us sat on a bench across the street from a huge house – the sounds of splashes out back took me back in time to when I'd spent hours playing in that very pool. I shook my head.

"Max?" Ari asked timidly. "Really, what are we doing here?"

I smiled down at him, wrapping an arm around him and pulling him into my side.

"You see that house?" I asked, and the small boy nodded, his eyes wandering – taking it all in. "I want you to make me a promise."

Ari nodded, eyes wide, as if sensing that there was something not quite right about this whole thing.

"Of course, Maxie." He whispered, and I smiled softly at the use of the pet-name that he'd given me.

"If you're ever in trouble, or if something happens to me, if you need a place to go; I want you to leave me, and run as fast as you can. I want you to come here and tell them that you're Max's little brother. I'll know that you're safe then. Can you promise me that, Ari?"

The small boy nodded, confused as his head turned back to the house.

"I won't have to though, will I? Nothing's going to happen to you, or me, is it?" He asked, sounding scared, and every bit the seven-year-old that he really was.

"No, Ari." I said gently. "Nothing's going to happen to you, or me."

But I didn't promise him, because honestly, I didn't know if I could keep that promise. If it came down to it, I was going to keep Ari safe. Even if it meant dying to do so. At least this way I knew that he'd be safe, Sophie would take him in without question – like she had with her other five adopted kids.

I was fairly sure that Nick and Iggy would keep an eye out for him, too, and Tiffany-Krystal would keep him amused. He'd be the perfect playmate for little Angela, and I was sure that he'd get along with Garry great, too.

If all else failed, if _I_ failed, I could at least do it knowing that there was something better for him out there.

A family far better than anything that I could provide for him.

-}|{-

**Review Replies:**

**MeThinks-I-Like-Books:** I'm really glad that you enjoyed it! ^^

**Asidill:** It was great to see you review, and I'm really glad that you enjoyed it! ~

**emotionalpoemgirl:** Thanks. I was aiming to protray a side of Ari that never really got the chance to develop - he was such a young child when he was eraserfied and sent to kill in the MR books that JP couldn't really give any indication of what he was like. Usually, I portray Ari as a big, bad, mean guy who'd up to no good, but I couldn't help but wonder what he _could_ of been like. This is just my opinion, but I'm glad that you approve! ^^ ~

**max88301:** Glad I didn't let you down, and thanks for reviewing again, it means a lot!

**Iced-Tea-XD:** Thanks, and yeah, I have to give credit to _**Crystal Red Roses**_ for the title idea. ^^ ~

_If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask. I don't bite!_


	4. Epiphany

**Chapter Four**

**Max**

"Dad, why aren't you at work?" I asked carefully, keeping one hand tight on the strap of my backpack as I noted that Bridget was back in her chair, and Ari was presumably in our bedroom with the puppies. He'd been keeping a vigilant eye on them for the past couple of weeks, and they were doing well.

It had been two weeks since we'd brought them home, and they'd since had their first shots and Dr Steward had set a date to have them all spayed and neutered when they were six months old.

"Got fired." Dad grunted. "Probably all your fault. You been spreading stupid rumours again?"

I bit my lip from reminding him that I'd _never_ spread any rumours, and simply sighed and headed forward.

"Phone rang for you earlier. Some stupid animal shelter or something." He said, his eyes never leaving the screen as I grabbed the phone and tried to pass him to get to my room. He was suddenly on his feet.

"What was some animal shelter doing phoning you anyway? You're not your mother. No-one's ever going to be your mother, not since you killed her. And your sister. Why couldn't you of died instead? All you are is a waste of space. Isn't that right, Bridget? Doesn't she deserve to be punished."

Bridget nodded, malicious intent clear in her eyes, and my dad's arm moved before I even noticed what was happening, and cuffed me around the face. I staggered, clutching at the door handle, and he laughed – turning back to the TV as if nothing had happened.

I stood there for a moment, breathing hard, and then headed into the room. Ari was – thankfully – listening to the iPod, and playing excitedly with the puppies. He hadn't heard what had just happened, and I wasn't about to enlighten him.

"Sorry I'm so late home." I told him as he pulled the headphones out and I kissed him on the top of the head. I glanced at the clock, it was about half ten – meaning that it was far too late to call the shelter. I was going to have to wait until tomorrow to call them back.

"It's okay. Missi and Tinker were having a race." He said back, grinning up at me; I raised an eyebrow, but didn't ask what he meant, instead setting about cleaning out their litter tray. It was a dirty job, but someone had to do it.

-}|{-

"Hello? This is Max Ride, you called me yesterday about a job application?"

"_Ah, yes, Max dear."_ The woman on the end of the phone answered, I could practically see her smile. _"We just wanted to say that we were impressed with Dr Steward's recommendation, and we'd greatly appreciate it if you could send in your CV."_

I smiled a little to myself. "Sure thing. I'll get it done after school, and get it in as soon as possible. Is there a deadline?"

"_By the end of the week would be fine, dear. We look forward to hearing from you."_ The woman said.

"Alright then, thanks for the opportunity, I'll get in touch soon."

My comment was met with a bye, and I smiled to myself as I hung up.

"Right, Ari, come on or we're going to be late for school." I said, grabbing his back for him along with mine, and ushering him out of the door.

"Who was that on the phone, Max?" Ari asked, dancing around me and grabbing his backpack as the two of us headed in the direction of the Elementary School.

"It was the shelter, they wanted to talk to me about working there." I smiled ruffling his hair. There was no doubt that the phone call had put me in a good mood, I had things all planned out in my head - if I could get a job at the shelter, I could finally break up with Dylan.

I frowned a little.

And then what? I had no friends other than Dylan, Dean and Owen; and I knew that if I broke up with Dylan, he wouldn't hestitate to tell them not to talk to me any more. I'd be completely and utterly on my own, and I wasn't sure that I wanted that.

I'd had Iggy, and eventually Nick, as my best friends; and then, when I'd left them behind, it had been easy to slide straight into pace with the "bad boys" of the school. I'd never been on my own, not really. I'd never noticed that I'd depended on Dean and Owen - and to some extent, even Dylan - before; it was a new, and interesting (if not down right scary) revelation.

Somewhere along in this mess that had been escalating for two years, Dean and Owen had stopped being my cohorts, and become friends.

I made a mental pact to treat them better, and certainly with a little less disdain.

-}|{-

"Yo." Dean said stiffly, slamming his tray down on the table so hard that I was surprised when the plastic didn't crack, or snap. Owen and I exchanged looks, and one of my eyebrows raised questioninly as I turned back to him.

"What's up, dude?" Owen asked, leaning forward as he frowned.

"I missed the rent," He sighed, running a hand through his hair and looking in distaste at his plate where only an apple lay - a glass of water staring up at him as if mocking him. "I had to give all of my money to the landlord yesterday, and it still wasn't enough. Damn it, if I'm not careful they're going to throw me out."

I glanced down at my own lunch, before pushing it wordlessly over to him and taking his apple.

"You don't have to do that, Max. Honestly." He said earnestly, his eyes boring into mine.

"Yes, I do." I said, sitting back in my chair and taking a bite out of the apple. "That's what friends are for, right?"

For a second I thought he was going to say something, but he settled for just grinning at me, and the three of us had just settled into a comfortable silence when the sound of four trays sounded the arrival of four other people at the table.

Generally, as a rule, Dean, Owen and I picked a table and no-one sat at it; well, at least, no-one had been brave enough too before. Now, I glanced over and saw that Fang, Iggy, Nudge and Nudge's friend JJ had taken the empty seats - leaving two empty seats (one on either side of the table) to separate the two groups.

"What the hell are you doing?" Dean snapped, clearly not in the mood to put up with the four of them. The cafeteria was suddenly silent as people glanced our way warily - it wouldn't of been odd for Dean to lose his cool and punch somebody, or for Owen and I to do it for him. Although, to be honest, no-one could ever say that we'd ever punched anyone without reason.

Whilst most people just thought about it, we had allowed ourselves the freedom to strike out when it could easily be deemed as kind-of appropriate.

"Sitting," Iggy snapped back, as the two girls shifted uncomfortably. A good look at Iggy showed bags under his eyes, and a worn look to him; the outburst wasn't like him, so something had to be wrong.

"Dean, just leave it." I said gently. His eyes met mine, and he relaxed a little, nodding.

"Yeah, Dean, just leave it." A female voice crooned, and we looked up to see Lissa and Kallie walking towards us.

Great, just great. As if my lunch wasn't sucking enough already, someone just had to throw the person that I least wanted to see into the mix.

"Get lost, Lissa. No-one wants you here."

"They do." She said, nodding towards Nick and Iggy. Whether or not that was true or not, I wasn't sure, so I settled for just rolling my eyes and turning back to my half-eaten apple.

"You know," She continued, a vindictive spark in her eyes. "I think that maybe you should reconsider that last statement. No-one wants _you_ here. You could go and off yourself tomorrow and I doubt anyone would notice - heck, I bet that boyfriend of yours wouldn't even care a less, he could find a girl twice as pretty and with half the baggage in a heartbeat."

"Hey." Nick interjected. "You're out of line, Lissa. Besides, Max was right - we don't want you here. We're finished, remember?"

"Of course." She said, face suddenly tight. "Silly me, I forgot. Oh, and Max?"

I looked up, refusing to show just how much her comment had struck home.

"Tell your brother that I said that if he knows what's best for himself, he'll get the hell away from you. My sister says he's a bright kid, he doesn't need you dragging him down."

"Lissa." Nick warned, as Owen placed a hand on my arm to keep me in my seat.

"See you later." She said with a plastic smile, tossing her red hair and walking away. My eyes were trained on her the whole way out, but I couldn't bring myself to be mad at her. Not really.

After all, hadn't she just told me what I'd known for years now?

I was just a waste of space.

* * *

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**There you have it, Chapter Four. The last chapter before I go away :] Hopefully, I'll have a lot more written by the time that I get back, and I should be able to update at least a few times whilst I'm gone!**

**_Please R E V I E W?_**

**_Question of the Chapter:_** Why do they call orange jam, marmalade?

_**Fanfiction of the Chapter:**_ "Saving the world through watching?" ~ I think it's completely fantastic. Nice and faxy, an ingenious plot and a good use of humour. You should really check it out!


	5. Reason

**Chapter Five**

Biology was just as awkward the second lesson after the seating plan had been introduced as it was the first.

Sam was avoiding my eyes, and he had a suspicious looking bruise on his face, lying over the one that I had given him - by the way that Dean and Owen were avoiding my eyes, I figured that they'd caught him before school and had a little "chat" with him. But that was just a guess. I caught Dean's eye finally and grinned, winking slyly to let him know that he wasn't mad.

He nudged Owen, and the two of them grinned at me; figures they'd be sat together and I'd be stuck with my two ex-best friends and Sam. Someone up there hated me, that was for sure. Shaking my head at them as they winked in unison, I turned back to my work, but couldn't help but grin nonetheless.

"Max," Nick whispered suddenly, I glanced at him from under my eyelashes, but gave no other indication that I'd heard. "Look, what Lissa said yesterday was out of line, if anything happened to you; I'd –"

"Don't say it." I hissed violently, eyes flashing dangerously as my head snapped up to glare at him; he looked confused, as did Iggy, but I was furious now. "You know, defending me to one-up Lissa's one thing, but lying to my face is another. Both of you have already shown me your opinions of what I'm worth."

"Hey!" Iggy said. "What the hell is your problem?"

"Max? James? What's the meaning of this?"

Mrs Withers asked, her eyes concerned. I didn't stop to answer her, simply grabbed my bag and bolted, hoping that she didn't see the tears in my eyes.

Did neither of them see? Were they both that blind?

They'd let me down when I needed them the most, and they didn't even realise?

Ƹ̴Ӂ̴-}|{-

"Aw, come on baby, you know I didn't mean to hurt you. I was just having a laugh." Dylan said, trying to pull me closer; I struggled in his grasp.

"You pushed me out of a car, and nearly broke my arm, because you were 'just having a laugh'?" I spat. "Screw you."

I tried to break free, but his arms were locked around me. "Dylan, let go!"

"Hey, dude. She said to let her go." I heard a voice, and turned to see Nick watching the two of us, one hand clutching one of the straps on his bag so tightly that his knuckles were white. Feeling anger burning in me once again, I found myself turning back to Dylan and smashing my lips against his.

I could hear him chuckling through the kiss, and knew that he was completely aware of what I was doing, spinning us so that

my back was against the car. Finally, he pulled away, pressing me uncomfortably against the car, and began kissing my neck as I squirmed to get away – noting that Nick had taken off.

"Don't play me." He hissed into my neck before biting down hard.

He pulled back, raising his hand for a blow to my face that I knew would bruise. There was nothing that I could do except to stare into his eyes - challenging him; it wouldn't put it off, but it meant that he'd know that I wasn't about to back down to him. He glared at me, lifting his arm higher in response, and bringing it down.

Only to have it caught in Dean's hand as he glanced nervously behind him.

"Dylan, man, we gotta get out of here. The head teacher spotted you, he said he's gonna call the police if we don't get out of here ASAP." He said, keeping his hand over Dylan's fist as he stepped back, no longer pinning me to the car. Owen's hand grabbed my own, and he gently tugged me away from the car.

"Alright." Dylan sighed. As usual, now that violence was out of the question, he was back to his normal self. "Come on, get in."

Owen wordlessly took the front seat, where I usually sat, and I slid into the back next to Dean. I half expected Dylan to explode, but he didn't say anything - his mouth turned up a little at the corners in a half-smile.

We drove out of the school fast. Too fast for Dylan to notice what I did - the head teacher, sat at his desk, typing away; completely oblivious to Dylan's presence. The boys had made the whole thing up.

Dean and Owen had saved me.

Ƹ̴Ӂ̴-}|{-

_"No-one wants you here."_

Lissa's comment ran through my head, over and over as I walked home from handing my CV into the shelter. When I'd inquired more about the job, the woman at the front desk had told me that I'd be working with two other high-school boys in a team of three; the three of us would be in charge of two dog blocks and the adoptions in them, three days a week.

It seemed like a pretty good job, actually, and it would look good when applying for more jobs in the future.

"You could go and off yourself tomorrow and I doubt anyone would notice."

Her comment hadn't stung, hadn't even hurt - not really. It should of, I knew that much; the same as Bridget's comments should hurt, and my dad's. The way that it should hurt when Dylan mocked me for his own pleasure, or openly used me. None of it hurt, none of it.

At first I'd told myself that it was simply because I was tough-skinned, that I wasn't going to let it bother me because none of it was true. I wasn't a waste of space; I didn't deserve to be punished for rumours that I hadn't even spread.

Now I realised that it had nothing to do with being tough-skinned, and a lot to do with the fact that although I wasn't going to admit it, I knew they were telling the truth.

I had no chance of getting decent job when I was older; constantly looking after Ari, and working at all times of the night meant that my grades were too low to even consider it. The only thing that I'd ever been okay at was looking after Ari, and it wouldn't be long before he'd grown up and left me behind.

I had no future past the next ten years.

So what was I going to do? Just give up on life when Ari left me? Settle down with a man that I didn't love, and find myself sitting in the same chair, eating the same food, and drinking the same booze, day in and day out? Reduce my life to the one that Bridget had reduced her's to?

I wasn't sure, but as long as I had Ari by my side, I had a reason to go on.

A reason to survive.

**Ah, faithful reviewers, its been far too long! Double update for ya'll, so I want lots of reviews!**


	6. Work

********

Chapter Six

"You're going to be late for school." Ari accused, frowning at me as the two of us sat on the low brick wall outside of his school.

"I'm not going to school today," I smiled at him, glaring at the woman across the playground until she stopped staring at the gash across my face. I really hoped that it didn't scar, that would be one hell of a job to explain. My prediction of Jeb and Bridget come home angry hadn't been out at all.

Unfortunately, they'd also returned with the pocket knife that was now shoved in my combat boot. Thankfully, the cut wasn't too deep, so I was hopeful that my face could remain un-scarred.

"Max," Ari asked, eyes wide and unblinking as he took in the gash on the side of my face. "Maybe I should stay off school and look after you. I could make you soup!"

I couldn't help but smile; despite the life that he led, Ari had always been a good kid. He had a good heart, and I hoped that he would get much further in life than I could ever aspire to.

"I'll be alright, Ari." I said gently. "You go in there and be clever, and when you finish University and get a good job you can look after me and make me some soup, alright?"

Ari nodded, his eyes determined. "Okay. I'll be the cleverest that I can be, just for you, Max."

"That's what I like to hear, little man." I was sure that he'd of had to struggle to hear my words over the ringing of the bell, but he was smiling proudly regardless. "Right, off to class with you. I'll be back to pick you up when school lets out."

Ari nodded, and hugged me tight around the waist before bouncing across the playground, where he met up with two other boys that I guessed to be Tony and Kieran, the two that he'd hung out with at lunch the day before. Clearly, Coby wasn't back at school just yet.

Sighing, I headed out amongst the stream of mothers that had been dropping their kids off. Most of them moved away from me, regarding my worn-out clothes and the cut and bruises on my face with disdain; sighing slightly to myself, I flicked my hood up, shrouding my face in shadow and carried on walking down the sidewalk, inwardly mulling over where to go.

I'd go back to the apartment later – I'd overheard Dad saying something about him and Bridget going out at lunchtime before he'd told me that I was expected to have dinner on the table for the two of them getting home. He'd then conveniently forgotten to tell me what _time_ they would be getting home.

Until then, I was stuck. I couldn't go to the animal shelter early, because they'd know I was skiving, and the same went for my plans of doing the weekly shopping. All that there really was to do was to head over to the park-side lake, and sit under one of the weeping willows with the iPod, and then head over to Dylan's.

He'd be happy to see me, I was sure.

Smiling to myself, I recalled the phone call that I'd received from the animal shelter that morning, informing me that I'd gotten the job, and asking if I could head in at four to do an evening's work tonight. Dinner on the table for Dad and Bridget be damned, I'd deal with whatever they threw my way when I got back.

The woman on the phone had been an old colleague of my mother's, Martha Kaleene, and she'd informed me that she'd been pleasantly surprised when she'd heard that Dr Steward had convinced me to apply. Apparently they'd been missing someone with my abilities and intuition when it came to the care of the animals, and she'd backed his recommendation.

The two of them were probably the reason that I'd gotten the job, honestly.

It was a nice change, having someone supporting me and striving to help me. Something that I hadn't known for myself since my mother and sister's accident. Since my whole life had changed in that one fateful night, the one that I would always remember as the worst of my life.

Making a quick decision, I veered left, heading for the apartment and then around the back of the building. Grinning to myself, I made my way up the fire staircase that lay at the back of the building, stemming from an alleyway. The stairs led straight to mine and Ari's bedroom, and I wasted no time in sliding my knife under the frame and jiggling it open.

The puppies started yapping when they saw me, but they knew better than to defy my "Sssh!" command - it had been the first one that Ari and I had taught them, and they were flawless at obeying it.

Quietly, I set about packing blankets and the likes into my backpacks, and the puppies into their carry cages.

If I was spending the day at the park, it was pointless spending it alone.

Ƹ̴Ӂ̴-}|{-

"Thanks for having Ari, Mrs Killinson. He's been ever so worried about Coby."

The elder woman smiled, although her face when she'd answered her door to find me dropping Ari off at their house had proven that she'd much rather be speaking to another adult. I quietly nudged Ari forwards, and he kept his eyes downcast – he'd always been shy around adults.

"You remember your manners now, Ari. And have a good time, alright?" I said gently, and Ari nodded, giving me a tight squeeze around the waist before escaping past Mrs Killinson and myself and up the stairs to Coby's room. Mrs Killinson made polite conversation for a few moments after, before excusing herself to put the dinner on and letting me go on my way.

Mrs Killinson had caught Ari and myself right before we left the playground, as she picked her younger daughter – Kellsay – up and invited Ari round for dinner, and to spend some time with Coby (who, as it turned out, had contracted some sort of bacterial problem that was thankfully uncontagious).

The invite had proven to be a godsend, and I'd arranged to pick Ari up on my way back from my first day of work. At least it had meant that I hadn't had to risk leaving him alone in the flat with Bridget, Dad and whatever booze they had somehow acquired.

The puppies had been another story altogether, but I'd given them the free run of the bedroom, and had locked the door from the inside before heading out via the fire-escape. There was plenty of food and water out, and I knew that they wouldn't be too noisy.

I admitted inwardly to myself as I headed towards the check-in station and signed myself in, before heading to my block, that I had gradually gotten more and more nervous about my first day as the day progressed, which was ridiculous, considering that it was the same agenda that I'd followed countless times before whilst helping my Mom out after school.

The only difference was that instead of working one kennel block, I was working a station, and I was doing it with two others.

Locating the block in question, I pulled my jacket off as I headed into the kitchen, throwing it straight on the stand in the corner before turning to face my two partners and blanching.

"You _have_ to be kidding me." I growled, frustrated to see Nick and Iggy stood before me. "You two? It was bad enough just dealing with you in Biology, for goodness sake."

"Yeah, well we weren't exactly thrilled to find out that we were working with you, either, Max, alright?" Iggy snapped.

"Come on guys. We're going to be stuck with each other for three days a week – we might as well try to be civil." Nick argued, stepping forward a little, between Iggy and I. "Besides, I'm sick of this – can't we all just be friends again?"

"I'm not being friends with a criminal who can't get over herself." Iggy said bluntly, before grabbing a file and heading to one of three offices. The nameplate on it read, _"James and Kieran."_, the next one was, "_Tyler and Tyrone."_ And the last one was (frustratingly) _"Max and Nick."_

Great.

Shaking my head, I headed in to the small room and dumped by backpack in the cupboard behind the desk that said my name. Thankfully, the room was almost split down the middle by a board that separated the two desks; my stuff was on one side, and Nick's one on the other. It could have been worse, that was for sure.

Dr Steward had left me a nice note saying that he was glad that I'd gotten the job, and that if I needed anything, I knew where he was. He'd also left me a nice pile of adoption papers to go over, and I sat down and began to arrange home visits and dog visits – it was easy, more secretary stuff than anything else, but I knew that once I got it out of the way, I had the rest of the time to socialise the dogs, and that was the best part.

I was about half way through the pile when my phone rang, and I answered it without once checking the screen.

__

"Max? Where the hell are you?"

Dylan spat into the phone. _"We've got a job on hand here – we need you."_

"Sorry." I answered easily. "I'm working."

__

"Working? Don't lie to me, you cow. No-one would have you, I'm not thick."

"Huh, well, apparently they would – since I'm sat at a desk, working."

__

"Whatever."

Dylan hissed, seething. _"I'll remember this tomorrow. You'll get yours."_

The line went dead, and I found myself whispering to the phone,

"I'm sure that I will."

"Who was that?" Nick asked from the doorway to the room, heading forward and taking a seat on his desk. "Dean? Owen? Sam? What's his name… Dylan?"

"It's none of your business who that was, Nick." I snapped, my mood officially soured by Dylan's attitude. My message tone beeped, and I saw that it was a message from my father; I briefly checked it, was disgusted by the content, and quickly deleted it.

"Chill." He said, holding his hands up. "I was trying to make conversation; and no-one calls me Nick, anymore. It's Fang, now."

"Nick, Fang, whatever." I said dismissively, turning back to my paperwork and finding that I couldn't concentrate any more. Rolling my sleeves up, I leant forward.

"Jeez," Fang hissed. "Are you alright? What happened?" He started forward, his eyes trained on the bruises on my arms – I quickly yanked them off the table, pulling my sleeves down and ducking my head, surprised at how stupid I'd been.

My first rule was never let anyone see the bruises.

I got up from the desk under the pretence of getting another pen, since mine was running out, and completely ignored the question. Unfortunately, Fang wasn't giving up that easily, and he followed me round.

"Did someone do that to you? The same person that cut your face?"

"It's nothing. I fell down the stairs." I said lamely, realising quickly that it was perhaps the worst excuse that I could have used.

"Come on, Max. What's going on? What happened to Max the fearless?"

"She grew up." I snapped, but I was now desperate to change the topic rather than angry. "Please, can you just leave it alone? I don't want to talk about it."

Fang opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off my another voice from the doorway.

"Max? Dear God, it's been far too long!"

I turned, and found myself grinning. "Kieran? I never thought…" I laughed at myself, before heading over and hugging him tightly. He picked me up and spun me round, before pulling back to look at me.

"How's my little fighter? Still kicking butt?" He laughed, taking in the cut on my face but saying nothing.

"Would you expect anything else?" I laughed. "What are you doing here?"

"I forgot some paperwork, and though I heard your voice. You've changed your last name, I didn't twig it was you when I saw who the new worker was."

I nodded a little, but didn't explain the change in surname; Kieran didn't ask any questions, it was one of the many things that made him as good a friend as he was. He knew when to leave well enough alone.

"You two know each other?" Fang asked, frowning.

"Yeah. Max here is one of the best fighters I've ever met. She's beaten me enough times, and I was her teacher." Kieran laughed, throwing his arm back around my shoulders and squeezing me tightly again.

Suddenly, my job here was looking even better.

* * *

**A/N **There you go. Don't say I never do anything for you :)

**_W A R N I N G:_ **In a couple of chapters from now, Max hits a very low point in her life. This is the chapter where the "T" rating becomes neccessary. I just wanted to say that it doesn't set the scene for the rest of the story, alright? Things start getting better for her after that.

Lots of** _R E V I E W_ **s please?


	7. Muderous

-Ƹ̴-}|{-

**Chapter Seven**

**Max**

Biology. Again.

"Alright, class. I want you to all hand in your projects, and then take a seat, please."

I grinned a little, throwing my folder on the pile before heading over to my desk. The project was the best one that I'd done all year, since I'd been off school for a week – until the worst of the gash on my face had healed. Of course, all of the extra time I'd had meant that I was sure that my project should achieve full marks – maybe even boost my overall grades up.

Although that meant that I was now going to actually have to talk to the other three people on my table; something which was less than appealing.

Nick and James were already there when I got there, although Sam was strangely MIA. Dean was missing, too, but he hadn't been in all day – I made a mental note to ask Owen about it at lunch. I'd been a little worried about the boys whilst I'd been off, but I'd seen them on the evenings, and they'd seemed fine.

Still, Dean had been a little off since the lunch where Iggy and Fang had come to sit with us.

I hoped things were going alright for him with the flat and the rent.

James looked up and frowned when he saw that I was back in school – the two of us had been stiff-backed around each other at work, ignoring each other as best we could; Nick and Kieran were tag-teaming at trying to play mediator, but it wasn't working out for them.

Both of us hated who I had become too much to get past it, and I still had too many trust issues to try and get our relationship back on speaking terms. He'd let me down once, and I didn't have enough faith in humanity to let him try again.

I slid into my seat, looking up, surprised, when Owen materialised next to me – sliding into Sam's spare seat to give him a few extra seconds before Mrs Withers noticed that he was in the wrong seat.

"Dylan's seriously unhappy." He muttered to me, leaning a little closer to try and (fruitlessly) prevent Iggy and Fang overhearing. "He was off his head last night when Dean and I got there; raving about how he was going to kill you."

"Sounds about right, he's mad about me not being there when I'm at the shelter – doesn't seem to see that I need the money." I sighed. "I'm working again tonight, but I'll go around after and try to talk to him."

"Talk to him?" Owen grunted. "Don't go there without Dean or me, or better yet, both of us. I think he was serious about _really_ hurting you this time, he's been hinting about it for weeks – keeps talking about the gun that his dad keeps in the back of the shop."

"He really meant it last time." I reasoned with him. "I can take care of myself, and Dylan. Thanks, though, Owen. Alright? I'll talk to you later."

I cocked my head to Iggy and Fang, completely aware that they'd more than likely heard everything that the two of us had just said. Owen got the message, but was still frowning as he nodded and retreated back to his own seat just before Mrs Withers started her lecture on the Carbon Cycle or something else that we'd already covered in class.

My finger was absentmindedly tracing the shape of my pocket knife, tucked into my belt, and I was all too aware of the second knife – the one that I'd grabbed from my dad – in my boot. I still couldn't even lie to myself about being unconcerned about Dylan's reaction to me – and what I was going to do with Ari this afternoon.

"He sounded serious." Iggy said, his face grave as he studied me levelly over the table.

"Owen's good at that." I responded non-committedly, without tearing my eyes from Mrs Wither's eccentric form at the front of the class.

"Give me some credit, Max. I _was_ your best friend for the best part of eleven years; you're scared. How olds that bloke, anyway?"

I simply shrugged, knowing that there was no point in denying it. "I'll handle it, and he's only twenty-two, for the record. Since when do you care, anyway?"

Iggy sighed, turning back to Mrs Withers, muttering something to himself. Part of me ached as I noticed the tight set of his shoulders, meaning that he was worried for me – even if he didn't want to admit it to me.

Sighing, I rested my head in my heads, thinking (not for the first time) that it had all been a lot easier when James and I were best friends, and Nick was the recent addition to the trio – the addition that I was getting _very_ close to, nonetheless. Things had been effortless then, and now nothing I did seemed to be effortless.

Neither of the boys asked if I was alright, and I was thankful.

Because if they had I might have been tempted to tell them the truth.

That I was the furthest thing from alright.

-Ƹ̴-}|{-

"Sssh. It's alright, I'm not going to hurt you." I said, sat cross-legged in a long kennel, hands balanced on my knees, palms up in a reassuring manner as I faced the two dogs – which had come in during Kieran's shift. The malamute (whose name tag read "Akila") stayed firmly at the back of the cage, but the black Scotty mix, Total, was slowly edging closer, until finally he allowed me to pet him.

I grinned a little to myself as the malamute, finally realising that I meant no harm, shifted slightly forward – her tail was between her legs, belly to the ground and ears flat back.

It was a sickening sight, but nothing uncommon in the kennels.

Checking the clock, I sighed before slowly standing and heading out, stretching my muscles. My shift was just about over, and I had to go and talk to Dylan before picking up Ari from the after-school basketball tournament that had been mercifully running. Him and Coby had both signed up, since the young boy was finally back in school and fit as a fiddle.

Fang was in our office when I reached it, and seemed to be internally debating something before he said softly.

"You're not seriously going to see him, are you?"

I frowned, watching him carefully as I pulled on my jacket. "He _is_ my boyfriend."

"Your boyfriend who was reportedly threatening to kill you?" Fang snorted. "Sounds like one happy relationship you've got going on there."

His words were sharp, but his eyes were soft, and I knew that his intention wasn't to hurt me.

"That's none of your business." I snapped, turning away to grab my backpack.

"It could be the police's. If I reported it; they generally don't take well to reported death threats, and when they see the bruises..." He said stiffly, trailing off. I turned slowly.

"You don't know what you're talking about. You've got it all wrong; Dylan didn't give me those bruises." I said, my voice steely. "I can't deny the death threats, but the bruises aren't from him."

"Then who are they from?"

"Just a street fight gone wrong." I shrugged, bluffing horribly.

"I don't believe you, Max. If they weren't from Dylan, who were they from? I just want to help." Fang's voice was gentle, but I couldn't help but flinch as he gently touched my shoulder. Suddenly furious, I turned to shout at him, swiping at his hand.

"Help me? I thought I was _broken?_ That's what you said, isn't it? _You are so broken._ Well guess what? You were right! I _am_ broken, but it doesn't fall on you to fix me. You gave up that right a long time ago, when my life went to hell and you wouldn't even pick up the phone."

I turned and headed out, tears of frustration, confusion and too many years of silence spilling over. Kieran was in the main part of the office, a handful of papers in his hands and his mouth open in surprise. He'd never heard me shout, _never_.

I didn't stop, hurrying past him and yanking the door open, slamming it shut as Fang called my name.

I blindly headed to Dylan's house, which was on the same lot as their family garage, fighting the tears back again, annoyed at myself for letting them spill over in the first place. Finally back under control, I shoved the door to Dylan's dad's garage open and headed in.

Dylan laughed when he saw me standing there.

"Ah, baby girl!" He staggered a little as he came closer, clearly drunk. "There you are! I've been missing you's!"

I practically groaned in disgust, catching him as he stumbled, trying to give me a kiss. The workbench behind him was littered with cans of beer and glasses and bottles - I couldn't even begin to imagine how much he'd drunk before I got here; or how much he'd intended on drinking.

"I thought you were mad at me?" I asked, struggling to move him towards one of the stools; he plonked himself on it heavily, before leaning back and toppling off it, landing hard on the concrete floor and bursting into maniacal laughter.

I sighed and rolled my eyes as I sat on the floor next to him and stroked his hair as his eyes began to drift shut. I briefly wondered whether I should stop him sleeping, just in case he'd hit his head when he fell, but found myself letting him instead. This was the first time that he'd ever let his guard down around me, and I found myself feeling slightly affectionate towards him.

Sure, we had a fairly twisted relationship. I was using him for the money, and he was using me for… well, to feel powerful, I guess, but we had been together for the best part of three years now. He'd seen me at my best, and my worst, and he'd never let me down, not when it really mattered.

So he was a jerk who occasionally got violent. So?

I wasn't exactly the most peaceful person, either, and my record was tarnished with the names of various people that I'd beaten up.

He had to have a reason for the way that he was, something that I'd overlooked when I'd made my judgments of Dean and Owen and him and deduced that he was the only one of us who _didn__'__t_ have a reason to do what he did.

It suddenly seemed frighteningly clear.

My dad was the reason for the way I was, there was no two ways about it, and so was Dylan's. His father had raised him to be just like himself - cruel, heartless, and someone who had no remorse. Dylan was constantly trying to please him, but nothing that he did was ever good enough. His _father_ had driven him to this, and my stomach dropped at the realization.

Maybe he _wasn__'__t_ with me just because it made him feel powerful, maybe he was with me because we were more alike than I'd ever wanted to admit. We did the same things, day in and day out, and the same person was ruling each of our lives - simply in a different, and yet equally destructive, way.

"I'm sorry." I whispered to his sleeping form, leaning over to press a lingering kiss on his lips. "I'm really, really sorry."

-Ƹ̴-}|{-

"Come on, Ari." I muttered, my hand tightening on his shoulder a little. The streets were dark, and I had no jacket on, having left it on the floor at Dylan's garage; something didn't seem right about the whole thing. Actually, that was an understatement.

Something seemed very, very wrong.

Footsteps sounded before me, and I hurried my pace as Ari trembled with fear underneath my hand; it was useless, the person behind me was catching us, and I could hear the footsteps of more around the corner.

"Ari, do you remember what you promised me?" I whispered, tugging the young boy's backpack straps a little tighter and handing him for leaders of the puppies, newly allowed outside. I'd picked them up from the house, and now I just had to hope that they could run as fast as their canine shapes would suggest.

The young boy nodded, tears in his eyes.

"Alright, good boy. When we turn this corner I want you to run to the house, and I don't want you to look back or stop until you get there. Not for anything, do you understand me?" Ari nodded, and I released his shoulder and the two of us turned the corner. Ari bolted, and I just had time to recognize Sam's face in the chaos that ensued before I began to fight.

It was useless.

There was nearly ten of them, all guys, and I was alone, weaponless other than the pocket knife in my boot that I couldn't get to. Leaving my jacket at Dylan's would have been bad enough on a normal night, but it was even worse now - my second penknife was in the pocket of it.

Hands pressed me against a brick wall, and Sam stepped forward, sneering at me.

"Told the brother to run? How generous of you. Shame It's not going to make him feel any better when they find your dead body in a dumpster, really."

"I really don't think that's going to be happening." A new voice said from the mouth of the alleyway. My head whipped around to find Dean and Owen stood there, and I grinned at them before using their distraction as a chance to escape.

Two guys were holding me to the wall, and the first was on the floor in a matter of seconds. A swift head butt and an elbow to the black rendered the second one unconscious, and Dean and Owen leapt effortlessly into the fray. They took on three each, leaving just Sam and I.

I let my guard slip, checking that three wasn't too many for the guys, and Sam seized the chance to swipe at me with his knife. I moved at the last second, and the knife lashed through my side rather than my stomach, leaving behind a trail of blood and pain.

Frustrated, I lashed out with my first, punching him hard around the face. He stumbled, and I used the momentum to crash him into the wall. The two of us bounced off, tumbling to the floor and I felt my head hit the floor, hard; for a long moment the world span dizzyingly.

"Max?" A gentle voice asked as I stumbled to my feet, staggering slightly to the side. Hands caught my arms and I blinked to clear my head, all too aware of the blood dripping down my side and staining my jeans; the world cleared, and I could see Dean and Owen regarding me carefully. "Come on. We'll get you home, or to the hospital, or _something_."

"I have to go to Iggy Griffith's house. That's where Ari is." I managed. "And someone needs to check on Dylan. He was drunk out of his head when I got there, and fell asleep on the floor."

The two of them nodded and looked unsure for a moment before Dean wrapped an arm around my waist to hold me up and Owen jogged in the opposite direction to the two of us – Dylan's house.

-Ƹ̴-}|{-

"Left here." I mumbled, feeling dizzy and sick as Dean and I made our way to Iggy's house. I knew Dean was only holding back from scooping me up and carrying me because he knew that I wouldn't like it.

"Max?" A new voice called. "Max? Oh, thank God."

Dean tensed next to me, and I became fully aware for the first time that I really couldn't see or think properly. Only when they were right next to me did I see the familiar faces of Fang and Iggy. I leant more heavily on Dean as my knees threatened to give way, and I fought to keep my eyes open.

"Is she alright?" Iggy's voice asked, his hand finding the wound on my side as I sucked in a deep breath.

"Does it _look_ like she's alright?" Dean snapped. "He got her with a knife in the side, and she hit her head pretty hard."

"_Who_ got her with a knife?" Fang asked, as his familiar arms scooped me up and I found myself leaning against him.

"No-one." I managed, and Fang seemed surprised to find that I was capable of speech.

"Alright." He sighed. "Since there's no way she'd ever let us take her to a hospital, I remember that much, we're going to have to get her to Mom."

"Ari?" I asked, well aware that I was fading, but determined to hear that he was alright and that I'd done the right thing in sending him to them.

"He's scared, and a little shaken up, but otherwise he's fine." Fang said reassuringly. "It's taken us this long to get where you were from him."

"Good." I managed, and then I was being sucked into the blackness, much to the dismay of the three voices calling my name.

Ari was fine, and that was all that mattered.

* * *

**A/N:** So, a little bit of a cliffhanger for you there. I'm sorry this one took so long to write up and post, but I actually had up to chapter nine written, and then re-wrote them from chapter seven to make the timing of the plot a little more realistic. This is only chapter seven, after all.

Still, you got a little bit of action, since I was determined to get some in there. Sorry to all you DAX haters, too, but be reassured: this will, eventually, be a Fax story. It's just not realistic enough for my liking that she'd break up with Dylan, and I wanted to show a little more of how she doesn't realise how much she relies on the boys before I throw some more Max/Iggy and Max/Fang friendship in there.

What'd you think?

Good? Bad?

_**R E V I E W!**_


	8. Accusations

**-}|{-**

****

Chapter Eight

"Alright, no sleeping for the next eight hours, and then everything should be alright. You were lucky that we got you to wake up again after you passed out." Sophie said, stroking my hair and giving me a motherly smile. I felt myself stiffen a little, and I turned away. Bridget had been known for doing the very same thing before she hit me, and although I knew that Sophie would never hurt me, it was an instinct I seemed unable to shake.

"Can I see Ari and Dean now?" I asked, swinging my legs on the counter top. Sophie frowned, but nodded. I flashed her a small smile before sliding off the table and making my way into the lounge where everyone was waiting.

Ari, Angel, Garry and Tiffany were playing with the puppies, whilst Dean, Fang, Iggy and their adoptive father sat around on the chairs. Why everyone had assembled to see me I wasn't sure, but I couldn't help but feel relieved as I lay my eyes on a perfectly content Ari.

He had located me in an instant, and threw himself into my waiting arms as I hugged him tightly. Dean came over next, and surprised the both of us by hugging me tightly. I hugged him back, squeezing him gently before we released each other and regarded each other for a long moment – a new found understanding between the two of us.

We had each other's backs.

Fang and Iggy both stood, but neither of them came too close, as if I was some disease that they were going to catch. I rubbed my side carefully; Sophie had been reluctant to sew it shut without any pain killers, but I didn't regret making her. She entered the room after me, phone in hand, frowning a little.

"Max, Ari, you should really ring your parents and let them know where you are—" She started gently.

"No!" I was surprised by the force in my own voice, and quickly backtracked. "I mean, uh, my parents are out of town for a couple of nights. I'm in charge."

Sophie didn't look convinced, but nodded softly.

"In which case, you can stay here tonight. I insist. Dean, do want to crash here as well?"

Dean looked at me, and I shrugged softly, letting him know that I didn't mind either way.

"Owen will be waiting at the flat." He said, almost apologetically. "He just phoned me to let me know that he's taking Dylan there, so we can keep an eye on him overnight."

Sophie and I nodded in unison and I offered him a small smile. "You send him my love, alright? And keep… on guard." I glanced at the family around us before finishing, knowing that he'd understand what I was telling him. To look out for Sam.

The four of us were finally closing ranks; after three years, we were accepting that we did more than just worked together.

We looked out for each other.

He nodded, pausing at the door. "Pay day on Monday."

"When's…" I trailed off, trusting him to understand that I was asking when the rent was due.

"Sunday."

"I'll come see you tomorrow." Was all I said, knowing that if I said anything else Dean would reject the money that I was going to give him. "Dylan's gonna be out of commission for the most part, so the four of us will just hang, alright?"

He nodded, "You should bring Ari; I'll get Owen to bring Kallie, and then the two of them can hang out for a bit."

He turned a left without another word, after that, closing the door softly behind him.

There was an awkward silence before Fang said finally, "Dylan didn't kill you, then?"

That boy could really pick his conversation starters, couldn't he?

"No," I said, with a little more force than I intended, still angry with him for what had happened earlier in the night, despite the fact that he hadn't hesitated to run to my rescue when I was doing a pretty good impression of a damsel in distress. "Dylan and I are fine, he didn't mean what he said, he was just angry."

"Because you were working?"

I glared at him, annoyed that he felt it necessary to have this conversation in front of everyone.

"Ari should probably get to bed, he's had a long day." Was what I said in the end, glancing at the small boy, who had sat back down with Angel, but was looking every bit as tired as I'd said he would be. Sophie nodded, instantly back in mother mode, rather than just plain confused.

"You can bunk in with Garry, sweetheart." She said, with a small smile as Ari slowly pulled himself to his feet. He followed her to the doorway, but refused to move any further until I joint him, and Sophie took this as an opportunity to tell the younger three that it was their bedtime.

I helped her wrangle the four of them into bed, before she felt fit to tell me that since I couldn't go to sleep, Fang and Iggy had volunteered to stay up with me. I was fairly sure that translated as: she'd volunteered them to stay up with me.

Well, this was going to be fun.

_Not_.

Her and Thomas retreated to bed only moments later, and I found myself regretfully heading to the lounge, where Fang and Iggy had casually sprawled themselves out across the sofa.

Whilst I'd been here, Sophie had clearly bitten her tongue on all of her questions; a prime example being how I'd ended up with a seven-year-old brother in the three years since I'd last seen her.

The boys were a lot more blunt.

"So," Iggy said as I folded myself into an armchair, careful not to tear the stitches. That would hurt. "Max really does have a brother. Who knew. Adopted?"

"No." I said, turning my face away so that the two of them couldn't see the pain in my eyes. As much as Ari wasn't to blame, and I had never blamed him, he was the reason that my Dad's affair had come to light. The affair, in turn, was reason that my mother and sister were dead.

Which, in turn, was the reason that the three of us weren't still friends.

"He's my half-brother."

"Oh." Iggy clearly regretted making such a big deal out of it when I answered, and I could feel his gaze on me as I refused to look back at him. "An affair?"

I nodded, laughing a little, bitterly. "Affair gone wrong."

"So he lives with you, your Mom, Dad and Ella now?" Iggy asked, clearly trying to find a silver lining in the cloud that was my life. I almost nodded, before realising there was no point in lying to him and shook my head.

"No." I continued after a long moment. "With his mom, Bridget, my dad and me."

"Oh." There was that word again. Full to the brim with sympathy that I didn't want, didn't deserve. It was my fault that I had no mother and sister to live with, after all.

"That explains why I haven't seen Ella around in a while." Iggy offered. "Do you see her and your Mom very often?"

I wondered how it was possible that they couldn't know. Of course, the day after the crash they'd shipped themselves off to Greece for two months, so I understood that the hype had died down a lot since then, but surely they must have heard _something_.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Alright." There was a pause, before he tried again. "Was the affair the reason that you started hanging out with Dean, Dylan and Owen?"

"I said I don't want to talk about it." My words were icy, and I was surprised to hear how unemotional I sounded to my own ears whilst I was crying on the inside. It seemed that I'd gotten a whole lot better at appearing cold-hearted than I'd given myself credit for.

I wasn't sure if that was a good thing.

"No school tomorrow." Fang said eventually, clearly trying - and failing - to think of a safe topic that wouldn't result in awkwardness. He'd missed the mark. School was linked with Biology, which was something that I mostly tried to forget. Iggy and I hadn't quite made it to speaking terms yet, and Sam had missed most of the lessons, so it wasn't exactly a thrilling lesson.

Silence lapsed again.

"You, know, I always thought that Dean was a little bit of a… jerk." Iggy started, and I grinned a little, mildly.

"That's a little judgemental. You've never even spoken to him."

"I spoke to him when he was pushing me in the bathrooms to wait for you." Iggy snapped, his patience clearly at its end. I frowned a little, reminded once again how different Iggy and I were now. Almost from two different worlds.

"That's right." Was all I said in the end. "He's a good guy, really. Just not very fortunate."

"He's a criminal!" Iggy snapped, and I felt myself become more angry than I had been in a long time as Iggy continued. "All of you are. How can you be good people?"

"Iggy." Fang warned, his voice low and even.

"You don't know anything about it, so don't you dare think you're better than us. You have no idea the hell that I've been through, or what the others have been through, so stay the hell enough alone." I snapped, a little too loudly considering the rest of the house was in bed.

"I _am_ better than you." Iggy near-shouted, and I wondered if he was genuinely arguing with me or just trying to bait me. Either way, the fight went out of me in a long exhale.

"You're right, you are better than me. But that doesn't make you better than the others." I said, leaning back on the chair. "Besides, you did buy a stolen phone, so you're not exactly a golden child, are you?"

He had nothing left to say to that.

**Ƹ̴Ӂ̴-}|{-**

"Thanks for all of your help." I muttered to Sophie as Ari and I stood on the front doorstep. I had the puppies' leads tightly in my hands as the six of them yelped and tugged excitedly.

"That's quite alright, any time." She smiled, and I allowed a small smile back at her, before turning to leave. She stopped me by speaking again. "Max? I hope you and the boys make up soon. I don't know what happened, but they both missed you. Still do."

I offered her a tight smile and a nod before heading out, Ari skipping happily along behind me.

"I was so scared, last night." He said eventually.

"I'm fine now, Ari; and you did good. You did real good. Now, you looking forward to playing with Kallie?"

Ari nodded excitedly and I laughed.

"Alright then, we'll go home and feed the puppies and then head over, alright?"

**-}|{-**

"Max," Dean frowned. "I can't take this. You need it as much as I do-"

"Just shut up and take it, Dean. I've already got enough for my bills with the money from the shelter, this is left over. Seriously, we're not gonna miss it or anything."

I waved the handful of bills at him again, and he hesitantly took them out of my hand. "Thanks, Max. I'll pay you back as soon as I can, I swear."

"Don't sweat it." I smiled, leaning back against Dylan, who gave me a friendly squeeze in return.

"You seem happy today, all things considered." He muttered to me, kissing my temple gently.

"I am." I smiled up at him, giving him a quick kiss. "I kind of had a revelation with myself last night. Realised that Ari and I, we don't have things as bad as I sometimes thought we did. Not with you guys around, at least."

If Dylan was surprised by my reply, he didn't show it, just smiled gently and kissed me again.

I could get used to seeing this side of him.


	9. Curiosity

**-Ƹ̴Ӂ̴}|{-**

**Chapter Nine**

**Max**

My life was never easy; especially when I began to think that it was.

"I don't understand! I would never—."

"Can it, Max." Dylan snapped, and I glanced around, all too aware that we were in full view of classroom windows, and I should have been in class. Biology, to be exact. "Your dad called, told me everything. About the money that you stole, and all of the guys you've been seeing behind my back."

"Money? Guys?" I was completely taken aback. My father had been violent with me before, and he'd called me names that were completely unrepeatable, but he'd never set out with a malicious intent to ruin my life like this before. "There hasn't been any money missing, Dylan! You know that for a fact, and why would I cheat on you? _When_ would I cheat on you? _Who_ with?"

Dylan frowned and I could see that I'd stumped him for a long moment. "Your new job. That _has_ to be it; an excuse for you to be away from me…"

"That's what you think?" I snapped. "Fine. Pick me up from school tonight and I'll take you there with me; you can even interview the others with what hours I work for all I care. I've done nothing wrong here, nothing at all."

"I will." Dylan snapped, whirling and jumping into his car, slamming the door behind him and racing off. I found myself sitting down on the edge of the sidewalk, my head in my hands; I was all too aware of a headache forming in my temples – something that seemed to be happening a whole lot more often than was normal lately.

I really hoped that I wasn't getting sick; I needed to be healthy. If I was sick I couldn't work, and if I couldn't work, I couldn't pay the bills. If I couldn't pay the bills, we were… well, screwed.

A hand touched my shoulder, and I whirled around, a little too fast.

"You alright?" Dean asked, slipping into a sitting position next to me as if two teens sitting on the sidewalk of their school in stead of going to their lessons was a normal thing.

"Yeah. I'll be alright." I said, offering him a small smile as I scuffed my shoe in the dirt. "Biology get too boring?"

He shrugged. "Being out here with you's certaintly a lot more interesting than being in there, put it that way. Dylan looked angry, the two of you alright?"

"Yeah." I laughed, a little bitterly. "No thanks to my dad. He accused me of cheating on him, saying that working at the shelter was just an excuse; I told him that if that was so, the people at the shelter would tell him that when he takes me there tonight."

"Jeez." Dean groaned, leaning back on his hands; there was a pause as I studied the ground before he spoke again. "How's your side, now?"

I appreciated the change of topic, and shot him a grin to let him know, before shrugging. "Fine. It's nearly healed already, just twinges now and then when I move the wrong way. Three weeks of healing; I'd almost expected it to have gone completely by now."

"You do seem to have a knack for healing pretty quickly." Dean grinned, before his face turned sober again. "Max, with your dad-"

"What about him?" I snapped, back suddenly straight and all of my defences slamming shut. Although I knew about the boys lives, I'd been a little more than reluctant to share mine with the guys. Eventually, they'd dropped it.

"I can see what he's doing to you, Max." Dean sighed. "It's the only explanation; the constant injuries, even when we haven't been fighting. You should report him, and then…"

"Then what?" I spat bitterly, kicking a rock so hard that it bounced off a nearby car. I frowned, recognising it as the headteacher's. Great. "Social workers get involved, split Ari and I up, and I'm left with nothing all over again. We're better off where we are."

"Getting whaled on every day?" Dean questioned incredously.

"_Yes_. Even with Dad and Bridget… they way they are. Ari's not getting hurt, and at least the two of us are together. If the state took us they could split us up, and I can't have that. I can't lose my Mom, Ella _and_ Ari; _nothing_ could be worse than that. Nothing."

"I guess." Dean sighed. "Just remember, if you ever need a place to stay, my flat's always open to you, and Ari, alright? No matter the time."

I nodded gratefully, hugging him one-armed quickly, before blushing and looking away. There was a long pause, and Dean hesitated before asking a question that I didn't want to hear.

"What happened? With you, and Iggy and Fang? You three were always so close. Owen and I used to watch you in the cafeteria and wish that we had that; you brought it with you, of course, but I can't understand what could break the three of you up."

"It was just me, being stupid." I answered, sighing and choosing this time to run my hands through the dirt. "On the day of the accident we had an… argument. It'd been happening a lot since Fang had gotten with Lissa; normally it was just Iggy and I taking the mickey and Fang got defensive. I dunno, he went off it for some reason that day, and all of a sudden Iggy was on his side."

There was a long pause.

"We all said some stupid stuff, and I told them that I had to go. Walked home, and straight into my mum and dad arguing. Ella was in her bedroom, crying her eyes out; she told me that she'd heard everything. About the affair, Bridget, Ari… everything. Eventually Dad walked out, and Mom came in to see us."

Another pause, and I wondered if I should go on.

"Mom was trying to get us to calm down, but I was _so_ angry, and Fang and Iggy weren't answering their phones. I really needed them there, you know? In the end, Mom said that she'd drive me to their house to see them, and told Ella that she had to come as well, in case Dad came home. We weren't even half way there when we crashed.

"It was stupid, but when I heard that Mom was already dead and Ella was in a coma, the first thing that I said was that I needed a phone. The nurse thought I was in shock, since I wasn't exactly… unhurt; she left the room to check on Ella, and I snuck out of my room and into the corridor. Starting ringing them again. They didn't pick up.

"Thirty-six times I rang them, before the nurse found me and told me that my sister was dead, too. The next day, Iggy and Fang went to Greece for two months with their family, neither of them phoned me back, and by the time that they came back it was already too late. Dad was a drunk, and I was living with him, Bridget and Ari."

Dean frowned. "You never told us what had happened to you, when you first came up to us. We wondered, of course, but something told us not to say anything. And then we saw the news… Didn't they try to talk to you about it? When they found out?"

"They never did, I guess." I shrugged. "All of the hype had worn off by the time that they came home, and no-one was really talking about it anymore. I certainly wasn't going to tell them. I was _so_ mad that they hadn't answered their phones; stupid, really, considering I'd probably have done the same thing."

Dean shook his head. "You should tell them."

I raised an eyebrow at him, and shook my head. "Some things are better left unsaid. The two of them are safer staying the hell away from me."

**-Ƹ̴Ӂ̴}|{-**

"Park here." I instructed, nodding to the staff car park next to our dog block. Dylan nodded stiffly, pulling up and handing me my bag as the two of us stepped out of the car. "Try not to be… rude to them. I have to work with them, even if you don't." I sighed, and Dylan nodded briefly, shoulders tense as he stuffed his hands into his pocket; eyes on the floor.

Shaking my head at him, I yanked the door open and was glad to feel the warmth wash over me. It was nearly winter now, and you could certainly feel it. Pausing just inside the door to sign in, I headed into the office to dump my stuff, surprised to find Fang already there. Usually, I was the first one to get there, but apparently I'd been beaten today.

His face was grave when he spotted me, and he opened his mouth to say something, before he spotted Dylan.

"Bring a friend to work day?" He said, his tone slightly less than friendly. I frowned a little.

"No. Dylan drove me, and I said that he could hang around for a little bit." I snapped back, shoving my stuff in my locker and grabbing the key to the dog block. "You fed the dogs in D block, yet?"

Fang shook his head. "I got the food ready, but it's Kieran's turn."

"He can owe me." I said, offering him a small grin. He didn't return it, and I shook my head at his strange mood swings as I led Dylan to the kennel block. "Believe me now?" I asked, pushing the door open and heading in.

"Yeah." Dylan sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, embarassed. "Sorry."

"You can make it up to me by helping to get these dogs fed. If you grab the bowls up, I'll deliver them to the dogs, alright?"

Dylan nodded, offering me a smile that said he was sorry.

**-Ƹ̴Ӂ̴}|{-**

"I'll see you tomorrow, alright?" Dylan asked, leaning down and kissing me gently.

"Tomorrow, right." I mumbled, kissing him again, slightly longer than I usually would have been comfortable with - considering that Fang was sat right next to us. Something about Dylan offering to stick around and help me in the kennels when Kieran had phoned in sick had made me like him just that little bit more.

Dylan laughed, swatting me playfully before grabbing his jacket and heading out. Sighing and shaking me head to myself, despite the fact that I was smiling, I slipped into my desk seat and picked up my paper work.

Of course, that was when my phone started ringing.

I answered it instantly, spotting Ari's number on the screen.

"Ari? Is everything alright?" I asked.

He was crying.

"Ari? What's wrong sweetie?"

"Daddy said that you weren't coming home, that he was going to hurt you too bad and that…"

"I'm not leaving you buddy, and I'm not hurt. Not even nearly, I'm at work. Do you want me to come and get you, and bring you back here? You can bring the puppies, as long as you keep them in the office."

Ari mummbled a please that had my heart breaking, and I quickly grabbed my jacket. "Okay. Lock yourself in the bedroom and I'll come and get you, alright? Get the puppies ready." Ari agreed, and I hung the phone up as I slipped my jacket on.

"Ari alright?" Fang asked, and I could see the concern in his eyes.

"He got into an… argument with Dad." I shrugged. "I said that I'd go get him."

"I'll give you a lift." Fang offered, and I was about to decline when he spoke again. "It'll be faster. You can get there faster, and Ari can get away from here and back here faster."

"Alright." I sighed. "For Ari's sake."

"Of course." Fang nodded, but he was grinning as he grabbed his keys and led me to his car. I recognised it instantly, and hated to admit that when I slipped inside and smelt the familiar smell, it felt a little bit like home.

Fang needed directing to the block of flats, and seemed surprised that we weren't still living in the old house; I didn't explain, and thankfully, he didn't ask.

"Park up here, and stay in the car. We'll be right back." I instructed, climbing out of the car.

"Are you sure that you don't want me to come in?" He asked, his face seeming genuine.

"More sure than sure." I answered, shutting the door behind me. Actually, I was fairly sure that Fang coming in was one of the worst things that could happen. He was sure to make a big deal out of it, which it really wasn't, and I didn't completely trust him to keep it to himself. Shaking my head at the thought, I ducked into the alley behind the flats and jogged up the stairs to the fire escape.

Ari was waiting for me just outside the window, and I could see Dad banging on the door from the other side. Ari was snivelling, and handed me Logo, Luna and Missi as soon as I appeared; hesitating for only a brief second before passing me a carry cage, and placing the other three inside the second one.

Balancing the cage on the ledge precariously, I carefully placed the puppies inside, before taking the second one from Ari and helping him out through the window, shutting it almost all the way behind me before ushering the small boy down the stairs.

Fang was, thankfully, still waiting in the car when we emerged from the alley, Ari gripping my hand tightly in his own. Getting him and the puppies settled in the back, I finally climbed back in to the front and Fang pulled away without a seconds hesitation.

**-Ƹ̴Ӂ̴}|{-**

"Thanks, Fang, for what you did today." I said, watching as Ari jumped in the puddles in the empty car park. It was something that he'd always loved doing, and it brought a smile to my face to see that he was enjoying himself.

Fang shrugged, and hesitated a little. "I talked to Dean."

My head whipped round so fast that I was surprised that I didn't give myself whiplash. "What did he say?"

"Relax." Fang frowned. "He didn't really say much of anything; just that he knew that you blamed yourself for the way that the three of us stopped… well, being friends. You shouldn't. He also said that we should have answered our phones, although he didn't say why. I'm sorry. I know Iggy is, too. Just… what happened to you, Max? What could have possibly changed everything so much?"

For a second, I nearly told him everything, and I felt tears fill my eyes as I turned my face away from him.

"Nothing." I answered. "Nothing happened."

Part of me wished that I could stop lying to him, the other part of me knew better.

The truth got you hurt.

Even more than usual.


	10. Explanations

**Ƹ̴Ӂ̴-}|{-**

**Chapter Ten**

**Max**

"You can't keep skipping lessons." A voice said from behind me, startling me so badly that I nearly fell off the park wall that I was sat on. Strong hands steadied me, and I pulled away, glaring.

"And why not?"

"Because we miss your winning charm in Biology." Iggy grinned, settling down next to me, facing the opposite direction; out across the road. "Look, I wanted to say sorry about what I said, back at my house. You were right; I don't know Dean enough to be passing judgement. For what it's worth, I think he's a pretty great guy, helping you out like he did."

"That's what friends do." I said with a mild smile that I didn't really mean, eyes focused completely on the swing set, moving slightly in the breeze. If I closed my eyes, I could almost have imagined Ella swinging herself backwards and forwards - laughing as the two of us, even at the ages of fourteen and twelve, competed to get higher and higher. "How did you find me?"

"Are you kidding, Max?" Iggy snorted. "We've been coming to this park since we were old enough to sit upright in the swings. It's always been one of your favourite places, although I did expect to see you actually _on_ the swings..."

I shook my head. Truthfully, I hadn't sat on a swing in a little under three years. It had been something that Fang, Iggy, Ella and I had done together, and I couldn't bring myself too, as weird as that may seem.

"I guess." I said non-commitedly.

"I'm sorry if I offended you the other day." He sighed, carrying on despite the lack of response from me. "Saying that I was better than you and stuff-"

"It's fine, Ig." I sighed. "Honestly. You were right."

Iggy frowned again. "No, Max, I wasn't; that's the point. I shouldn't have said what I did, and you shouldn't have believed me."

I shrugged a little, eyes still trained on the movement of the swing. "People have said worse. It's no big deal."

There was a long pause, and I could feel Iggy's gaze on me. Slowly, he reached his hand out to rest it gently on my shoulder; my eyes flitted to his face in a brief moment of panic and I found myself flinching away, years of experience having me expecting a blow to the face. Iggy's eyebrows raised and I turned my eyes forward, again.

"Max… has someone been hurting you?" His voice was probably more serious than I'd ever heard it before.

"Don't be stupid." I snapped, keeping my eyes frantically forward - trying not to let them give anything away. "Have you and Fang been talking behind me back or something?"

I knew instantly that I'd said the wrong thing. "Fang? What's Fang got to do with any of this?"

"He asked me the same question before… the night that I stayed at your house. Except that he accused Dylan."

"_Is_ it Dylan?"

"No!" I half-yelled. "Why does everyone keep saying that? Dylan is - essentially - a good guy."

Although, if I was honest, he _had_ hit me before, and I knew that he wouldn't hesitate to do it again. Still, he'd never hit me hard enough to bruise or anything – except for when he'd pushed me out of the car, which I was sure had been a one off.

"So who is it then?" Iggy snapped, grabbing my arm and twisting me to face him roughly. The contact had every sensor in my body screaming and panicked, and it was all I could do to bit back a scream of fear. Anger led to violence. That was just the way that it was.

"No-one." I snapped back, yanking my arm back and standing. There was a fierce determination in Iggy's eyes, and I frowned a little to myself. "Please, just let it go, Iggy. _Please_."

I hated begging, but I knew when it had to be done.

"I'll ask Ella," He threatened. "I'll phone her right now! She'll know—."

"She doesn't know anything!" I cried, fury burning in my eyes beneath the tears. "She's dead – how can she know anything other than that?"

Iggy froze, mouth open although the words he'd been about to shout never breached his lips. A tear fell and I wiped my eyes, turning a way for a brief second before turning back again.

"Are you happy now?" I shouted, knowing that I was being accusing and harsh, but caring nonetheless as the tears began to fall more frequently. "My mom and Ella? They're dead. Gone. _Forever_. Of course, you would have known that if you'd answered the damn phone!"

I turned and snatched my bag up, flicking my hood up to cover my face and shoulder the bag before storming off.

"Max!" Iggy called after me. "Max, _please-."_

I didn't turn back.

**-}|{-**

"You've been crying." Dean accused as I caught him outside of west corridor; Owen was with him, frowning at the look on my face and the fact that I'd brought the puppies onto school grounds.

"I'm fine," I said, with a sad attempt at a smile. "But I've got to go to work, and I hate to ask this of you, but…"

"Sure." Owen grinned, him and Dean taking the leads out of my hands. "We'll pick him and Kallie up and you can come and get him from the flat when you get out of work."

I blinked for a long second, amazed that they'd known what I was going to ask, before smiling. "Thanks guys, I owe you. Again."

Dean shook his head. "Just have a good time at work, we'll catch you later, alright?"

I nodded gratefully, turning and heading in the direction of the shelter, inwardly dreading the moment that I'd arrive. There was no doubt in my mind that after I'd taken off, Iggy had found a way to tell Fang what I'd told him; and although it was Iggy's night off, I still had to share an office with Fang.

I didn't want to talk about my past again, I had enough troubling living in the present.

Kieran was bustling around the kitchen part of our little block when I arrived, and he offered me a grin before glancing towards my office and leaning over to mutter.

"Fang's not looking too happy; Iggy came with him earlier, but he left after a little bit. If you don't want to go in there I'll do your paperwork for you later." His eyes were as kind as ever, and his voice gentle as he regarded me carefully; there was a reason that I considered him one of my best friends, and it wasn't just that I didn't exactly have many to pick from.

For a long moment I hesitated, sorely tempted to take him up on his offer, before sighing. "No; I should probably get this over and done with, unfortunately. Thanks, though."

"Anytime, Max. I owe you anyways, remember?"

I grinned a little at him before squaring my shoulders and gritting my teeth before heading into the small office, kicking the door shut behind me and dropping my backpack into its usualy place like nothing was different.

"No puppies or Ari?" Fang asked, his voice deceptively mild; for a long moment I wondered whether Iggy had kept his mouth shut, and then I caught a glimpse of his face as I shifted the stack of paperwork that had yet to be completed.

"Nope," I answered with a smile as fake as Bridget's boobs. "Just me today."

"Good." Fang's voice was grim and there was a slightly more than awkward silence as I stared blankly at my desk, not daring to sit down - some part of me, the scared little girl part - warning me that doing so would put me at an advantage. Adrenaline pumped through my sistem; my fight or flight instinct kicking in hard.

"Iggy told me what happened," He said, and I could feel his gaze on the siude of my head as I stood, hands forming a white-knuckled grip on the back of the chair so hard that it almost hurt. "Earlier, I mean. At the park."

I shrugged, feigning an indifference that was anything but sincere. "Good for you, I guess. Curiosity finally satisfied?"

"Why didn't you tell us?" Fang demanded, all pretense of indifference vanishing completely.

"I tried to!" I snapped, momentarily loosing my cool before making an effort to reign it back in. "I called you, remember? Thirty-six times. It was you who chose not to pick up." I shrugged, trying to appear less bothered than I actually was.

"I was mad, thought you were trying to apologise-"

Rage burnt in my eyes, and a fury like nothing I'd ever felt filled me.

"I can't believe that you have the nerve to stand here and _lie_ to my face, after everything. Maybe you were never the person that I thought you were. You knew better than to think I'd ring you to apologise after a fight, when have I _ever_ done that? Never. You _knew_ something was wrong, it's not my fault that you ignored it."

"So, what?" Fang shouted, both of us loosing our rag after so many years of pent-up emotions. "Now it's my fault? Your mom and sister die in some freaking _accident_, and you're going to stand here and blame me?"

Both of us froze. Clearly whatever Fang's intentions, what he'd said was completely off the mark. I blinked back tears at the harshness to his words, shaking my head violently.

"You know what? _Screw you_. Do your freaking job and leave me the hell alone, alright?"

I grabbed the kennel key and span, yanking the door open and pausing for only a moment before grabbing the bowls up and heading into the block that I was looking after.

Total and Akila greeted me at the front of their cage, tails wagging, and it was almost easy to forget that only a few weeks ago I'd had to coax the pair of them out of the corner with treats and scraps of meat. Next along were the newest additions, three collies (Mars, Wispa and Trixie) whose owner had died. Rhapsody and Starr (rotties), Nutella (Malamute), and Ollie, Fritz and Gina, the beagle mixes, completed the current residents.

All of them were well-mannered dogs, although Starr and Nutella were kennel crazy. Oh well, it just made my job a little more interesting.

"At least I have you guys, hey? You don't give me stick." I muttered, dishing out the food. I was rewarded with licks on my hand, and finally settled myself into Total and Akila's cage, shutting the door behind me and leaning against it as I affectionately fussed over the dogs. Only a few moments later Fang emerged, looking calmer than ever, he came and pressed his back to the wall between Total and Akila's kennel and Starr's (so that we made an "L" shape).

"I'm sorry."

I shurgged a little, back to my charade of bravery and indifference. It was something that the school therapist had called a "defense mechanism", although I'd only been to see her the one time before informing the school that they could screw their therapy sessions.

What can I say? I'm ungrateful.

"It must have been hard, dealing with that."

Another shrug, although my movements through Akila's fur were becoming a little more jerky. She whined a little, pressing her muzzle into my hand as Total wriggled a little further.

"What can I say?" Was my eventual reply. "I dealt. Didn't have much of a choice."

"What about your dad? How did he react?"

I turned my head away, facing towards the back of the cage. "I don't want to talk about him."

"That bad, huh?"

I couldn't help myself. "You don't know the half of it." My words were accompanied by a bitter laugh that had Fang turning his head towards me a little. "Ari and Bridget had moved into our house in under a month, and we moved not long after that. There's a loving father and husband for you."

"Maybe it was his way of coping."

"No, that was his way of saying that he was through with being alone; he has different ways of coping. You can trust me on that one."

I really hoped that I was the only one that caught the darker meaning to my words., aware that Fang had glanced at me quickly after my comment but refusing to aknowledge it.

For a while, the two of us sat in a silence more comfortable than most I'd endured over the past three years, before he spoke again.

"How did things get this screwed up?" He said, the amount of bitterness in his tone surprising me.

I sighed.

"I wish I knew. I really do."

If only things could be the way that they had been three years ago; when everything was easy. The truth was, despite what Fang and Iggy might think, nothing was ever going to be the same again.

Nothing.

* * *

Finally, the chapter that most of you have been waiting for. Sorry if its a dissapointment, but it refused to come out the way that I wanted it to XD

Also, something that was brought up by a reviewer,

Would people like to see a little Dean X Max?

**How about a vote?**

**1] Fax.**

**2] Dean/Max and eventual Fax.**

**3] Dax.**

I already have a plot thingy worked out involving the three of them, but if people are interesting in seeing a little Dean/Max I can tweak things a little ^^ I dunno, it'd be easier to stick with just Fax, but I'm always up for a challenge! Let me know in a _**R E V I E W.**_


	11. Over

-}|{-

**Chapter Eleven**

**Max**

"You're out." Dylan said firmly, arms crossed across his chest and his face grave. Dean and Owen exchanged disbelieving looks; clearly neither of them had known that this was on todays agenda.

_"What?"_ I snapped. "I've been hanging out with you as much as you can, and we've done over twenty jobs in the past week-"

"It's not good enough." He snapped. "Money's dipping. We need someone with more devotion to the team."

"I can't believe you're doing this." I said, stepping back a few paces and shaking my head. "You _know_ that I need the money."

"Look," He sighed, reaching out a hand to take my own. I yanked it away, and he ran a hand through his hair. "It's nothing personal; it was my dad's decision. We can still-"

"Go out? Be friends?" I asked incredulously, backing further up. "Is that what you were going to say? Forget it. We're done, through. I can't believe I actually thought you were a half-way decent guy." I laughed a little, shaking my head before turning to Dean and Owen. "I'll see you two later."

I span, and was nearly completely out of the door when another voice spoke.

"Wait up, Max. We're coming, too." Dean called after me, as him and Owen moved suddenly from their spot. Dylan whirled on them, eyes furious.

"If you walk out of here now, you're never welcome back."

Owen hesitated for a split second, before catching up with Dean as the two of them made their way forwards.

"Don't be stupid," I snapped at them. "You need this money, both of you. What are you gonna do? Sing on a street corner for rent money? You're both tone deaf."

Dean laughed a little at that. "We got a job. Both of us, at a little café not far from the shelter; we were going to tell you next week before we started, but…"

"Oh." I said, a little taken aback. "Alright then. In that case, let's get gone."

Dean grinned at me, placing a hand on my shoulder and rubbing it through the material of my shirt as the three of us headed out.

Dylan shouted something from behind me, but I was too angry to hear what he had to say.

-}|{-

"You're early." Ari accused as he let me back into the flat. I offered him a smile that was more like a grimace and nodded, ruffling his hair.

"Dad and Bridget not back yet?" I asked, glancing around the flat. This was the third day in the row that they'd been gone, and I was starting to get a little, well… worried, I suppose. Partly for them, but mostly for Ari and I. If things were hard enough with two drunk parents, I didn't know what it would be like to have _no_ parents.

"Okay, give me a couple of minutes and then I'll sort something out for dinner tonight, alright?" I asked, and then nodded to the TV. "Since the 'rents aren't around, why not watch some cartoons?"

Ari grinned and nodded enthusiastically, but I noticed that he avoided Bridget's chair, whether he intended too or not. Sighing, I turned and headed into the parents' bedroom. Someone had obviously made some haphazard attempt at making the bed, and a single white sheet lay on the middle of the bed.

The closet doors were wide open, one of the doors hanging off in a poorly attatched manner that suggested it had been thrown open in a hurry and the hinge had snapped, and the dresser doors had been pulled out. All of them were empty. Eyes wide, I picked up the note and quickly recognised the hand-writing.

Bridget's penmanship had once been a beautiful cursive, but was now a barely intelligible scribble reading simply, "_Decided LA looked cool. Have a good life."_

My breath caught in my chest, and the familiar sting of tears burned behind my eyes.

I should have been glad that they were no longer around, but I wasn't.

"They're not coming back, are they?" Ari asked from the doorway, his wide, brown eyes were full of tears and my heart broke a little as I took in the sight of him and forced myself to shake my head. He hesitated, and then he was clinging to me and we were both crying.

Everything in our lives had just got that much harder.

Finally pulling myself together I swallowed hard and pulled back from Ari a little, wiping the tears from his face despite the fact that they were still falling. "It's okay, Ari. We'll make it work – we're going to stick together, and we'll get through it, alright?"

"You promise?" He asked, eyes sparkling in the dim light.

"Yeah. I promise." I whispered, pulling him back to my chest and rocking him.

I just hoped that it was a promise that I could keep.

-}|{-

"You alright, Max?" Dean asked, his brow furrowed in concern as the two of us sat opposite each other at our usual lunch table. Owen had managed to score himself a lunch-time detention (as it was the only type of detention he ever attended), so it was just the two of us on the eight-seater table.

"Fine," I said poking my food around before pushing it towards him. "Just... yesterday wasn't a great day. With Dylan and everything."

He watched as I shrugged, not touching the food, before leaning forwards and speaking again. "This isn't just about Dylan. You've been cying; was that why you weren't in maths?"

"Partly," I shrugged, and then plastered on a fake grin and attempted a joke, "A partly because I couldn't do well in maths to save my life. Clearly, I'm never going to be a good accountant."

Dean didn't laugh.

"What's going on, Max? Seriously."

"It's nothing." I watched as my hands began to fiddle nervously with the edge of the twenty dollar table.

Dean wasn't put off. "Clearly its something."

"I just, I could really do with the money from Dylan right now..."

Dean frowned again, taking my fiddling hands into his own to still them, his eyes still on my face. "Why? Why _now?_ What's changed?"

I sighed; finally giving in. "Dad and Bridget skipped out on us; decided that "LA looked cool", and left a note telling us to "have a good life". Without the money from Dad's job, and the money from Dylan, I don't think that I can afford to keep the flat. I really don't know what I'm going to do..."

"Easy." Dean said, looking oddly relieved. "Move in with me."

"What?"

"The flat has the bedroom, and the pull out bed under the sofa. Someone would have to share somewhere along the way until we can save up a bit more money, but hey."

I almost told him to stop being ridiculous, before realising that I didn't have much of a choice, and settled for saying, "I'll pay half of the rent, and the bills..."

Dean shrugged.

"Doesn't bother me either way, as long as you've got somewhere to stay. After all, that's what friends are for, right?"

* * *

**A/N - **Sorry this one took so long; I've just started college (English college, I'm not that old you Americans!) and it's _crazy_!

I'm still up for votes on **FAX **vs **DEAN/MAX**; so there you go. **The Guardian Experiment** should have a new chapter following the posting of this one, and I'm happy to report that I'm currently writing the last chapter of it, and I'm going to concentrate to getting this story back on track before I start on the Sequel, **Definition of Normal.**

Hope you hadn't given up hope and I haven't lost you all!


	12. Safe

-Ƹ̴Ӂ̴}|{-

**Chapter Twelve**

**Max**

"Thanks again for this, Dean." I sighed, tickling Luna's belly with one hand as the two of us sat side-by-side on the floor, cross-legged. We'd settled Ari on the pull-out sofa bed in the lounge area, the bed that the two of us usually shared, and retreated to Dean's bedroom so we didn't wake him. He grinned a little, gently nudging Logo until the dogs paws and jaws wrapped around his hand.

"You need to stop thanking me," He laughed. "It's been almost three weeks now."

"I know, I'm just…"

"Not used to having someone looking out for you? I got that." Dean laughed, nudging me gently with his shoulder. I grinned a little, loving the ease that had developed in our relationship. I caught sight of the clock on the other side of the room, and sighed.

"Its twenty-to-one and we have school and work tomorrow," I grumbled. "We should probably go to bed."

"Probably," Dean sighed, standing and pulling me to his feet. I was about to leave when he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into a gentle hug. For a second I hesitated, and then my arms wrapped around him and I felt my head bury its way into his shoulder as if of its own accord.

I hadn't felt this safe around anyone since, well, since _Fang._

After a long moment, Dean kissed the top of my head and then pulled back, shoving me playfully towards the door. "Get out of here, loser."

I mimed stumbling towards the door, pressing my hand to my heart and fake gasping in shock, before laughing quietly. "Fine, jerk."

"Oh, Max," He called out after me. "Owen and I are working late tomorrow, and he's bringing Kallie, so I figured I'd take Ari and you can stop by after work? Discounted food for you, and the guys."

I grinned, nodding my approval before heading out.

-Ƹ̴Ӂ̴}|{-

Total wagged his tail enthusiastically as he saw me coming, and even Akila perked up a little. The two of them had been getting more and more social, but they only had two weeks left at the shelter before their time ran out and they were put to sleep. I was so reluctant to let it happen that Dean and I had even talked about adopting them to our flat, but we already had six dogs and really couldn't handle any more.

"Only two weeks left, huh?" Fang asked; I frowned a little. Over the past month or so the two of us had come to an understanding of sorts. We were fairly friendly around each other, but nothing more than that.

"Yeah," I sighed. "I'm desperate to get them a home, but everyone seems to be reluctant because Akila's so big."

"I've left an application for them on your desk," Fang offered, grinning a little. I snapped my head up a little.

"What?"

"Sophie's been wanting a dog for years now, and I brought her and the others up yesterday and they love the pair of them."

"Seriously?"

Fang nodded, grinning a little, and part of me felt guilty that he was once again making an effort that I had yet to reciprocate. Besides, what was stopping me now? There was no longer an abusive father, or jerk of a boyfriend, to defend and appease. Why couldn't there be an easy relationship between the two of us?

"Thanks, Fang, seriously." He nodded, again, before turning and heading out. What happened next surprised me as much as him, I can assure you. "Hey, Dean and Owen are working late at the diner tonight – discounted food for you, Iggy and if you're up for joining me and the others."

Fang blinked. Then blinked again. Slowly, a smile spread across his face. "That'd be great, Max."

I watched him walk out of our shared office, before smacking myself on the forehead. Recently myself, Kieran, Tyler and Tyrone (the other two workers at the shelter) had been heading to the diner after work; I was sure the others had noticed the lack of Fang and Iggy, but none of them had said anything and the three of them got along great with Dean and Owen.

Still, I knew that Tyler and Fang didn't exactly see eye-to-eye sometimes, and Iggy, Fang and I were still barely on speaking terms.

So why I had I just gone and invited them?

-Ƹ̴Ӂ̴}|{-

"You came," Dean grinned, sliding into the booth next to me, scooting over to let Owen in and shifting a little uncomfortably when he saw that Fang and Iggy had joined the group; I could understand that. He knew that I wasn't completely comfortable with them, and that was bound to make him a little on edge.

"Of course I came," I laughed, nudging him playfully and nodding to where Ari and Kallie were playing just across the room in the area with the small tables and chairs supplied just for kids. "You're holding my brother hostage. I had to come and save him."

Dean growled playfully, giving me a small playful shove; strangely, I did flinch at the mock-violence, but laughed and nudged him back, blushing a little as I realised that everyone was watching us; Fang seemed to be playing especially close attention.

I wondered what his deal was.

"So, Kieran," I said to break the small silence that had lapsed over the table. "Is it true that you really got taken down by two teeny-weeny cats today? Impressive."

"Teeny-weeny," Kieran said exasperatedly, but he was grinning and nodding. "They were crazy. Great big feral things; I was scared for my life, thought they were going to eat me or something."

"And yet two thirteen-year-old volunteers managed to pull them off without getting a single scratch on them? You should have heard the pair of them squealing in the staffroom – I swear it's a pre-teen girl thing." Tyler piped in, and I was glad to note that the awkwardness had dimmed.

This might actually work.

* * *

**A/N - **Sorry this one took so long; I've just started college (English college, I'm not that old you Americans!) and it's _crazy_!

Long wait again. I feel ashamed ^^'

Hopefully I haven't dissapointed you too badly with the standard, but I'm trying my best. College is crazy, and I'm trying to work out issues with some of my best friends, not to mention work and working on my own novels - crazy!

Hope you hadn't given up hope and I haven't lost you all!

**This chapters question: What is/are your favourite colour(s) and why?**

Mine are black, white, red and dark purple. As for why... I think they kind of help me fade into the background a little. Call me paranoid ^^'.


	13. Sick

**-}|{-**

**Chapter Thirteen**

**Max**

**-}|{-**

Man did I feel awful.

My head was pounding, my body was alternating from hot to cold (I was sure that my constant battle with pulling the covers off and on was going to disrupt Ari) and I felt dizzy in light-headed. All in all, sleep wasn't exactly coming easily. Still, I kept my eyes closed as I tossed and turned in the bed, hoping that I kept them closed _just_ long enough sleep would drag me under.

"Max?" Someone whispered in my ear, as a hand gently pushed the hair away from my face. Startled, I made to bolt upright, but a gentle hand stopped me. My eyes finally opened to see Dean sitting on the edge of the bed next to me; one hand still stroking my hair as he placed the back of the other to my forehead.

"You feel alright? You're burning up," He whispered, slipping his shirt over his head to wipe some of the cold sweat from my face (attractive, huh?). I couldn't help but notice his muscular chest, hey, give me some credit – I was half delirious and half exhausted, I have an excuse for wandering eyes!

Chuckling a little to himself, Dean moved from the bed, pulled the covers away from my body and scooped me up in one swift movement. For Ari's sake more than anything, I bit back a squeal.

"What are you doing, Dean?" I groaned as the world seemed to tip, and I found myself resting weakly against him.

"You're sick." He retorted with a snort of laughter. "Which automatically means that you get upgraded to the bed."

"You don't have to do that." I replied, my voice faint and wispy as sleep finally began to drag me under.

**-}|{-**

A hand was running through my hair; a comforting feeling if ever I'd felt one. In some ways it seemed to reduce the thumping in my head to nothing but a dull thud. Everything was still spinning, but at least the pain was reduced and there had yet to be any nausea; just a fever, the same old hot and cold flushes and the faint feeling.

How fun.

"Max?" Dean whispered. "How are you feeling?"

"Just peach." I tried, blinking me eyes open and trying to clear the fuzziness from them. It wasn't working. Dean was sitting on the bed next to me, a frown on his face as his hand continued to run smoothly from my hair. "Where's Ari?"

"Owen borrowed my car and took him to school with Kallie. I hope that's alright, but I didn't want to wake you."

I nodded, propping myself up against the pillows.

"Do you want anything?" He continued, "I've got pills and stuff in the bathroom, and I put a pitcher of water and a glass next to your bed, but that's probably warm right now. Do you want some soup? People seem to like soup when they're ill—"

Despite feeling like death warmed up, I laughed. "I'm fine, Dean. Thanks, though."

He shrugged. "We're flatmates now; it's in the flat-mate code that if said one of the flatmates is ill, the other one takes care of them. It's in the handbook."

I mock-frowned. "I don't think that was in the version that I read."

Dean sighed, shaking his head, shifting a little on the edge of the bed to get more comfortable. I shifted over without thinking, patting the wide double-bed next to me.

"You sure?" He asked, looking uncertain.

I allowed a small smile despite myself, nodding. "The only thing you have to be worried about is that whatever I have is catching."

Dean mimed looking uncertain, before shaking his head a sighing. "Well, if you insist, it looks like I don't have much of a choice, do I?"

He climbed onto the bed next to me, wriggling to get comfortable against the pillows before sighing and relaxing back, closing his eyes for a long moment. "You had me really worried back there, you know? I could hear you tossing and turning all night, and then when I saw you, you were so pale… you look a little better now."

"Uh, thanks?" I attempted. "But yeah, I do feel a little better, actually. It was probably just some twenty-four hour bug or something."

"Probably." Was his reply, as he looked me over a little and smiled. "How's your head?"

"Alright. It was actually better when you were stroking me hair, which is strange—" I cut myself off, blushing deeply at my apparent inability to keep my mouth shut when I needed to, and turned my face to the bed sheets.

Dean laughed, before gently tucking my hair behind my ear. "Come here, Max, you silly goose."

I blushed deeper, bravely turning to face him. "What?"

Dean was smiling, but seemed a little unsure as he spoke again. "You heard me, come here." He mock-ordered, and I wriggled closer, suddenly aware that I was wearing only a small pair of shorts and a camisole, having discarded my over-sized concert shirt (which might actually have been Dylan's) onto the floor at some stage. Despite my brain screaming at me that I was being stupid, I did as Dean said and wriggled closer, fitting neatly into his side as his arm wrapped around my and came up to stroke my hair.

Both of us were tense at first, before gradually relaxing to where I was resting completely against him, head nestled into his neck.

"Get some sleep, Max," He whispered, and I could have sworn that I felt his lips press against my forehead before I dozed off as if on command.

**-}|{-**

I woke up warm, feeling a lot better, and more comfortable than I had been in a long time.

Although that might have had something to do with the fact that I was snuggled so close to Dean that I was sure no one would have been able to fit a piece of paper between the two of us. One of his arms was supporting his head with his hand, and mine with his elbow, and the other was wrapped tightly around my waist – securing me to his chest, something which I was definitely aware of.

I should have moved. Should have wriggled out of his embrace and told him that we couldn't let this happen again – after all, everything in me was screaming that this was going to end in heartbreak, just like it had with Dylan and Fang.

And yet I snuggled closer still and closed my eyes, falling effortlessly back into the realms of sleep.

-**}|{-**

Dinner was nothing short of awkward. We'd been woken up by the sound of Ari returning home, and scrambled out of bed to greet him – Owen hadn't been fooled, sensing that something was up, but wisely saying nothing. I'd been feeling better by the time that we decided to order take-out, but the two of us hadn't mentioned the whole falling-asleep-together thing.

It seemed a little pathetic, when in reflection I'd stayed in a bed with him, Owen, Fang and Iggy before without anything happening. We were friends, and something as stupid as sleeping side-by-side shouldn't change anything. It never had before.

Then again, I'd never _cuddled_ with anyone but Dylan, and briefly Fang, before.

It was a strange thing, but I couldn't say that I hadn't enjoyed it, so I decided to let Dean know that everything was okay with us on my side in the easiest way possible. Kicking him underneath the table and laughing.

Ari checked underneath the table, noting where both mine and Dean's legs were positioned, before he began to laugh with me.

Dean took a little longer, pausing mid-bite to glance at me from beneath his eyelashes. I locked eyes with him, and grinned, and slowly he, too, began to laugh and for a long while, it was just the three of us in our own little world.

Happy, content, and safe.


	14. Picnic

-}|{-

**Chapter Fourteen**

**Max**

"So, I was thinking," Dean said, his hand playing idly with my own over the centre compartment of the car; causing a blush to stain my face. "How about I get Ari from basketball, go home and pick the puppies up, and then I could come and get you from work and we could go for a picnic in the park… If you want to, of course."

I grinned a little, nodding. "That'd be great, Dean. Really. Thank you."

He shook his head, his face turning a little red as he started up the engine, and I took that as my cue to climb out of the car, waving bye to him as I headed inside, smiling to myself as I threw my backpack into its usual place, heading straight into the office.

Fang was there, along with… Sam. Great.

"Oh, hey," Fang grinned, clearly not noticing the sudden tension in the air. "Sam said you were expecting him? Anyways, I'm on dinner duty, so I'll leave you two to it."

He disappeared off into his assigned kennel block, and I watched him go before smiling hello to Kieran and shutting the door quietly; finally turning to find Sam casually leaning against the far wall.

"It's been a while," He said conversationally. "How've you been?"

I frowned. "Cut it out. What do you want from me, Sam?"

He grinned, and there was something sickening in it; he slowly stood, sauntering across the room, stopping a little too close for comfort, and leaning in to mutter in my ear. "I want you… to come to the rings. I want you to fight me, properly."

There was a pause, and then I laughed in his face, shoving him backwards. "Are you joking? I beat you bad enough in the school corridors."

He shrugged. "Then consider it a re-match."

I frowned, shaking my head. "Are you crazy? I'm not going anywhere near the rings – and I'm certainly not trusting you enough to believe for a second that you're not going to try and sneak a knife or something in."

His grin grew. "Max! How could you possibly think so little of me?"

"I have my reasons, and I also have work to do, so why don't you get the hell out of here?" I yanked the door open, and nodded out. Sam didn't move for a long moment, and I saw Kieran tense up on the other side of the room, openly watching the situation play out.

Finally, Sam grabbed his jacket and headed out, turning at the door to wink at me and shout back, "Be seeing you soon."

I watched him go evenly, aware that Kieran was watching me.

Finally, I turned to him and frowned again. "So you heard the whole thing, huh?"

"Kinda." Kieran admitted. "You're not really gonna go to the rings, are you? That place is –"

"Dangerous." I interrupted with a tight smile. "I know, and I don't trust Sam, so no, I'm not going."

"Good." Kieran sighed in relief, his shoulders relaxing.

Smiling at him, I turned and headed into the office, as Fang appeared from the kennels, Total and Akila trailing at his feet on their leashes.

"Oh, you're taking them home today, right?" I asked, crouching as he unclipped their leashes and allowed them free run of the office. "I'm gonna miss them."

Fang nodded, smiling a little before hesitantly saying. "You can come and visit them. Whenever you want… I mean, you know Sophie. Our house is as open as it comes."

I nodded, although I already knew that I wouldn't. Whilst Fang and I had settled into an uneasy friendship, Iggy and I were still barely talking, and it seemed hardly fair to infiltrate his home and make things awkward for him there, too.

**-}|{-**

"Ready to go?" Dean grinned, appearing in the doorway in the office and making me jump, grinning at my reaction. "I left Ari in the car with the puppies."

Fang glanced up from his desk, blinking a few times as if confused. "You guys aren't going to the café?"

"Nah," I grinned, shoving my completed paperwork into a neat pile, and placing the rest in a second pile, for completion tomorrow. "We're going to the park for a change. Its Dean's day off, so we're taking Ari and the puppies for a picnic."

Fang nodded, but suddenly didn't seem as happy as before.

"You alright?" I asked him, frowning.

"Fine," He said with a fairly-authentic grin, unsure but knowing that he wasn't going to tell me anything if he didn't want to, I nodded, and followed Dean out of the shelter. As promised, Ari was sat in the back seat of the car, the large dog crate that we were keeping the puppies in whilst in the car on one side of him, and a picnic basket on the other – a few blankets folded neatly on top.

Dean had clearly gone to a lot of trouble, and Ari was practically beaming as he sat in the back seat, wriggling every so often in excitement. Finally, we pulled into the car park next to the large field and laughingly piled out; Ari pausing for a second to let the puppies, now larger than ever, out of their crate.

They stuck close, bounding around our ankles and yelping happily as Ari carried the blankets, and I grabbed the picnic basket, whilst Dean lifted the puppy-less crate. People gave us strange looks as we wandered around with our strange assortment of objects, but we laughingly ignored them, finding a plot of land large enough and setting up.

Bringing the crate had been a good idea; when it was covered with blankets it was the perfect place for the puppies to find some shade, especially since two of them were huskies, and none of them were exactly short-haired.

"This was a great idea," I smiled, leaning over to wipe some milk off Ari's face. He giggled, turning back to play with Luna and Tinker, and Dean grinned at me.

"Glad you think so." He smiled, shifting where he lay back on his arms. Slowly, I lay back next to him, so that our sides were touching, blushing a little as I did so. Dean smiled, nudging me slightly with his shoulder.

I wasn't sure what was happening; was it possible that I liked him as… more than a friend? It was an unfamiliar feeling – it wasn't like I'd had a chance to feel it for Dylan. I'd joined the group, and I was "his girl" less than a week later, without my permission. After that, it was just easier to just go along with it.

The only other person I'd ever felt something similar for was Fang, and that had all changed with the Greece trip and the accident.

This time, I'd been given a choice and an opportunity, and I was determined not to waste it. Life was too short, and it was a lesson that I'd learnt the hard way. Besides, I had nothing to hide anymore. The whole dad-and-Bridget issue was over and done with, and the mom-and-Ella issue was out in the open, at least.

Things could only get better, right?

* * *

**Important A/N:**

**Okay, so this chapter has been long overdue, huh? There's been a few hitches along the way, however, chapters might be a little... slower than normal due to some real life issues. Thanks for understanding!**


	15. Promise

-}|{-

**Chapter Fifteen**

**Max**

"I'll get you for that," Fang growled, eyes narrowing as he glanced down at his now soaking shirt.

"I slipped." I reasoned with an unsympathetic shrug. "Khandi moved, and I wasn't expecting it. Sorry."

Fang rolled his eyes, but I noted that he didn't seem particularly convinced. Not that it mattered, of course, since I was the one currently wielding the hose pipe; and, since it was the shelter issue one, it had a pretty good spray on it – perfect for washing dirt off dogs, and various other types of animals, along with being perfect to absolutely drench anyone else who happened to be in the near vicinity.

The large mountain dog shifted beneath his strong hold on her harness, clearly not liking the feeling of the spray against her legs, giving me the perfect opportunity to_ "_accidently" spray him again. He glowered at me, but it was one of the hazards of the job… especially when working with me.

"All done!" I announced happily as the last of the muddy, soapy water dripped from the dogs coat and began the process of running down the drain. Her dark eyes were focused on me with a pleading look that made me smile, and I quickly towel dried the worse of the water off her, before Fang released her back into her warm, sunny pen.

"What's got you in such a good mood?" Fang asked curiously as the two of us headed back to our office, smiling politely at passing visitors observing the dogs in the kennels as we walked.

"It's pay day, so I don't think there's a reason to _not_ be happy." I answered with a shrug, punching Kieran lightly on the shoulder as he passed with a cute little puppy in his arms. He mock-gasped, recoiling and slamming dramatically into the wall as if I'd hit him full-force, before resuming his previous walking speed as if nothing had happened.

Fang and I blinked, before covering the last few meters and letting ourselves into the office, where Akila and Total were curled up in one corner, and Kayle, Luna and Missi were curled up in another – partially hidden from view by two filing cabinets. Fang, Dean and I had arranged a rotation to stop us from having all eight dogs in the office at the same time, as it got a little crowded. Typically, I brought three of ours, Fang brought Total and Akila, and Dean took three to work – where his boss had allowed them to hang out in the staff room.

"I'm not buying it." Fang said, a knowing look in his eyes. I rolled my eyes in response, but inwardly was a little pleased with his good mood. This was probably the best that the two of us had interacted since the Greece trip.

"Dean and I are taking Ari to the open cinema in the park later," I confided with a small smile, slipping into my desk chair. "You know, where they project the movie onto the building across the street? He mentioned the other day at dinner that he'd seen one in a movie and it looked awesome, so we're surprising him. I really hope that he likes it. We're meeting Owen and Kallie there, too, so there won't be any discounts at the cafe, either... Sorry."

"I'm sure Ari's gonna love it." Fang said, but his good mood seemed to have faded, and I wondered what I'd done wrong. "Your idea, I presume?"

"No," I frowned. "Dean's. He was the one who did all the research about the times and dates and stuff. All I had to do was agree and keep it a secret from Ari. Why?"

Fang just shook his head, forcing a smile before he shoved his headphones into his ears and turned back to the paperwork, leaving me once again with the feeling that I'd done something wrong, although I couldn't work out what. I watched him carefully for a few moments, before realising that it wasn't going to get me any more answers and turning back to my own pile of paperwork. What the hell was up with him?

**-}|{-**

"This is so cool, Max!" Ari said excitedly, brown eyes glittering in the moonlight as he glanced around the park. Dean grinned down at him, and I found myself amazed once again at the almost paternal role that he'd picked up with Ari without even having to be asked; as always, Dean had planned ahead, and there'd been a stack of neatly folded blankets on the backseat, alonside Ari when he'd come to pick me up.

"Don't thank me," I laughed. "It was all Dean's idea."

"Thanks, Dean!" Ari chirped, pausing in his enthusiastic bouncing to give him a squeeze around the middle, before bouncing forwards a few feet. "Can we sit here? Please, Max? It's got a perfect view of the screen, and its under a tree so it won't matter if it rains-"

"Alright!" I laughed, holding my hands up as the puppies bounced around. "We can sit here. Come on, help Dean set the blankets down."

The young boy nodded, immediately grabbing a blanket and helping Dean lay it down as I dumped the rucksack full of food and treats for the puppies onto the floor. We'd contemplated bringing their leaders, but decided against it in the end - they were all well trained enough to be trusted, and once they realised that we had food, I don't think they'd have moved even if there'd been an earthquake and the floor had fallen out from underneath them.

Finally, all nine of us were settled, and a few moments later Owen and Kallie arrived and Owen offered us a grin as he chucked a smaller backpack onto the rug next to us and Kallie skipped over to sit next to Ari, where he was playing with the puppies whilst he waited for the film to start. The two of them began chatting almost immediately, and I took that as my chance to move from my position on the other side of Ari to between the two boys.

Dean smiled as I sat between them, wrapping an arm around my waist as I leant into his side. Owen raised an eyebrow at the positioning, before grinning and mouthing, _"about time!"_ at me. I glared back and he chuckled, holding his hands up in mock surrender as the three of us fell into a contented silence. It was strange to think that only a few months ago I'd thought of the two boys beside me as nothing but co-workers. People that needed to be there for me to pay the bills, and nothing more or else. Now they were my best friends, and, in Dean's case, my boyfriend. Its funny how quickly life can turn around.

"Yes!" Ari hissed as music started up and I threw him and Kallie a packet of popcorn each. They tore into the packets eagerly and I laughed a little at the grins on their faces as they tucked into the food and the park descended into darkness - clearly, whoever was running the movie had thought to bring in some portable lamp-post type things for before and after the film, which was a good thing, as I'd seen enough people trip over each other even in the light.

A few people were shushed within the first few seconds, and then the make-shift theatre fell into silence as the opening scene of _Batman_ was projected onto the building opposite, instantly catching the attention of the hundred and so people that had come to watch it.

I'll be honest. It was more enjoyable than expected, especially with Dean's warm body pressed against mine.

**-}|{-**

"Where are you going?" Dean asked with a frown, watching as I glanced around and stood up.

"To the bathroom," I laughed. "I'll meet you back at the car."

He mock glared at me as the other people around us made a big thing of groaning when the final credits rolled across the screen, and his voice came out accusingly. "You just don't want to tidy up."

"Does it matter?" I laughed, taking a few steps backwards and shrugging. "Either way I'm going to the bathroom and meeting you at the car."

He groaned and rolled his eyes playfully, as Owen tried to convince Kallie and Ari that it was time to pack up and go home, but I saw a flicker of concern in his eyes.

"Just... be careful, alright?" He said, and I nodded, understanding his concern. Sam and his cronies were well-known for hanging out here, as were the four of us before the four had become one, meaning that Dylan and whoever he hung with now were likely to be here, too, which could be an interesting situation. On the plus side, the bathrooms weren't too far away from the car park, so it wasn't like I was heading in a completely different direction to anyone else. That made someone jumping me a little less likely, and even if they did, I could take care of myself.

Of course, my life was never simple, so just as I was heading out of the bathroom - having lulled myself into a false sense of security - an arm snapped itself across my path, and I swung round, coming face-to-face with Dylan, grinning maliciously. His pupils were huge, and I wondered if he'd gone back to the days where he crammed as many hours of drug-taking in as he could.

"Hey there, Maxie. Long time no see." He crooned, leaning uncomfortably close to me. My eyes narrowed, and I shoved him hard enough to send him stumbling a few steps backwards as his eyes narrowed. It was then that I became aware that he wasn't alone. Sam was behind me, and his cronies and a few guys that I didn't recognise were dotted around. Clearly, him and Dylan had joined forces. Fantastic.

"What brings you here?" Sam said, his voice silky in a vain attempt to be seductive, I assumed.

"The same as everyone else." I said evenly, nodding to the streams of people passing by, some of them giving us cautious looks, as if waiting for a fight to break out at any minute. "Whereas I'm sure your reason is completely different."

"Somewhere like this is ideal for-"

"Pickpocketing." I finished for cronie number three, a large guy who I was sure I'd seen at Dylan's dad's garage a few times. "I know the drill, idiot."

"Yes," Dylan said, forcing himself back into the conversation. "You do. In fact, I think you know the drill a little too well... what would we do if little Maxie went to the police, or just let her mouth slip? I'm sure the consequences would be rather unfortunate. Perhaps a car accident, or maybe you'd slip on the staircase of your apartment building. They're steel, you know, and if you hit your head on the way down, I'm sure that it'd really hurt."

"You should know better than to try and scare me." I shot at Dylan, and then rolled my eyes. "And to think that I'd run my mouth off. What good's that gonna do? Land me in a jail cell, and Ari in foster care. No thanks, even if it _was_ true that I wouldn't mind seeing you two locked up behind bars - where you belong."

"You see," Sam said to Dylan over my head. "I told you that she's gotten cocky. That she thinks she's better than us. She always has."

Dylan nodded thoughtfully.

"I think you might just be right." He mused aloud. "Well, we're just going to have to do something about that, aren't we?"

I rolled my eyes and grinned a little at the two of them. Clearly, they'd planned what they were going to say in advance for "maximum impact." Idiots. "And what exactly are you going to do?"

"That's easy," One of the cronies who I recognised as being called Aaron. He went to our school, but I hadn't seen him hanging around with Sam before. I'd have to keep an eye on him in future. "You're going to come to the tournament at the rings at the end of the month."

"And why would I do that?" I said, raising an eyebrow.

"Because if you don't," Dylan answered, leaning closer again. "There's a whole list of people in my back pocket that I'd just love to get my hands on. Your little brother, for example, and Dean, and Owen... perhaps even little Kallie."

"And Nick," Sam prompted. "And his family, too. Maybe they can hold a group funeral for them."

"You wouldn't dare." I said tightly, glaring at Dylan in the darkness.

His eyes glistened, and I didn't see an ounce of humanity in them.

"Wouldn't I?"


	16. Brotherhood

-}|{-

**Chapter Sixteen**  
**Max**

"Are you alright?" Dean asked, watching me carefully as I shifted nervously. The two of us had been curled up on his bed watching some comedy show when he'd rolled me over and looked me deep in the eyes, telling me that he was glad that we were all safe.

Pangs of guilt seemed to be tearing at my heart, but I knew that I couldn't tell him. He wasn't stupid, there was no way that he was going to let me go to the rings, especially not on my own.

"You've been acting strange ever since the movie night… did something happen?"

See what I mean? So not stupid.

"Nothing," I said with what I hoped was a convincing smile, reaching up to peck him on the lips and letting my hand doodle patterns on his chest. "I've just been thinking a lot. Maybe you and I could take up martial arts with Kieran again… Owen, Ari and Kallie could come, too. It'd be good to do something high-energy again."

Dean mulled this over for a long second, before nodding and allowing a grin to spread over his face as his hand ran through my hair.

"Sounds like a plan," he said, smiling at me. "I've been missing training with you."

I laughed a little, remembering the days when the three of us used to spend hours in the gym with Kieran practicing to be the best of the best.

"You mean that you miss getting your butt kicked by me," I teased lightly, before letting loose a jaw-breaking yawn. He grinned, kissing my nose before lightly shoving me and teasingly ordering me to get some sleep. I slapped his chest lightly, but rolled over and did – strangely – as I was told.

**-}|{-**

I couldn't help the smile that graced my face at the familiar sight of the gym, and it only grew when I saw Ari's face beaming up at me.

"This place is awesome!" He grinned excitedly, taking a moment to observe all of the different sections before finally coming to rest on the area where Kieran was adjusting a CD player. Within moments a song with a heavy beat was blasting out, and he finally turned to face us.

"Ah! You made it, fantastic! Now, just to wait for the others—"

"Others?" I queried, Dean and I exchanging a confused look as Kieran turned crimson.

"Yeah, well, Fang and Iggy overheard me talking about the gym and asked if they could come along, and I said yes, and then it dawned on me that this is the only free session. You're alright sharing with them, right?"

"Sure." I said with a smile, not wanting to make Kieran feel awkward. "It's no problem."

Dean nodded, but there was something on his face that told me that he would rather that it was just the five of us. Him and Fang had an uneasy relationship at best, although I'd never quite worked out why. Frowning, I nudged him in the side and kissed his cheek a few seconds before the door opened and Fang and Iggy appeared. They were both decked in sweatpants and T-shirts, and even Iggy looked care-free as Owen and Kallie appeared behind them.

"Ari!" Kallie giggled, skipping over.

"Alright," Kieran said with a grin. "Let's get to work."

**-}|{-**

Sweaty and tired, Dean, Ari and I stumbled back into the apartment, laughing to ourselves.

"Alright," I grinned, "I'm gonna get a shower, and then I'll go and get some stuff for dinner. Alright?"

The two boys nodded, collapsing onto the sofa as I headed into the bathroom and relaxed into the hot jets of the shower. Dean's apartment wasn't exactly the nicest in the world, but it was better than our old one, and it had a power shower, so it was more than good where I was concerned. Finally, after a little longer than was neccessary, I climbed out of the shower and wearily headed to the store.

"Excuse me," A female voice called, and I started, turning to see an elderly-looking woman at the end of the corridor.

"Yes?" I asked, and then. "It's Miss Allister, right?"

"Right," Her smile was clearly forced, and I realised with a sudden jolt that I wasn't going to like what came out of her mouth. "I wanted to know where your parents are, dear."

"Uh," I blinked, startled by the seemingly random question. "They don't live here... I live with my boyfriend, and my younger brother. Why?"

She frowned. "I really don't think that's appropriate."

If I had been a dog, my hackles would have been up.

"I really don't think that's any of your business," I said rather rudely. "We haven't given you any trouble, and I'd appreciate if you'd return the favour."

I turned and walked down the stairs without another word.

Perhaps if I'd known what was going to happen, I'd have been a little nicer.

**-}|{-**

"I'm home!" I called, kicking off my shoes and grinning as Ari scrambled to help me with the bags. It took a few seconds of unloading groceries for me to realise that Dean was missing, and I frowned, quickly dishing Ari's dinner up before heading through to the bedroom, where his voice was coming from.

"Dean?" I asked gently as I headed inside, shushing myself quickly when I realised that he was on the phone. The look on his face had dread registering in the pit of my stomach even as my ears refused to process what he was saying until he hung up. Silently, I sunk on to the bed next to him and caught his eye - he only held my gaze for a few seconds before he dropped his gaze, and my stomach dropped with it. "Dean, who was on the phone?"

"It was... uh, it was a hopsital. In Scottsbluff, Nebraska." He paused, as if saying the words aloud would be the only way to make them come true. "They have my brother there, Max. He was... in an accident."

"Is he... alright?"

We both knew what I was really asking.

"He's alive, but they don't think that he's going to be able to walk again. They tried to get ahold of my father, but they couldn't reach him. They said that he's going to need round-the-clock care."

The true meaning of his words really dawned on me. The hospital wanted _him_ to give his brother round-the-clock care.

"I don't know what to do." He whispered, brown eyes meeting my own and pleading with me to understand. I _did_ understand.

"You have to go," I told him, squeezing his hand gently with my own. "Robert _needs_ you."

"What about you and Ari?" He asked desperately. "_You _need me!"

"Ari and I can take care of ourselves," I told him evenly, although some part of me was screaming at me for what I was doing. How could I let him go? "Your brother can't. He needs you, and you have to help him."

"But he left me!" Dean near-shouted. "He abandoned me, and I won't pick him over you. I won't leave you, leave behind what we have together. I can't."

"You have to." I said sternly, standing abruptly and dropping his hand.

"Your brother needs you, and if you don't go then I'll-" I faltered for a long moment, before finally locking eyes with him in a deadly serious, quiet voice. "Then I'll leave you."

My stomach flipped at the realisation of what I'd just done, but I forced myself not to think about it. I forced myself to meet his eyes with my own, unwavering, and I forced myself not to open my mouth and take it all back. Robert had been a jerk, there was no denying it, but Dean was being given the chance to fix things with his family. It was something that I had longed for since my mother had died, an opportunity that I'd never get the opportunity to be presented with, and I wouldn't let him pass it up. I couldn't.

"Max-"

"No. You're going to help him, Dean. You have to."

* * *

**Alright, so I suck for not updating in MONTHS. I'm not going to list reasons why. On the plus side, here you have it, the ever-illusive Chapter Sixteen. Lots of drama and foreshadowing for you... sorry for all of you Dean lovers! For the FAXNESS to happen, he had to leave, and I didn't want to make him the bad guy, so here you have a lose-lose situation. Poor old Max, and poor old Dean.**

**But don't worry! You'll hear from him/see him later in the story!**


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